Causality Crash
by NovaFloresca
Summary: How wide a gulf can exist between two parallel worlds, given only one change? Just how much damage can a carry-out beef bowl actually do?
1. Any Length That Is Needed

There are 360 degrees in a complete turn of a circle. Each degree possesses 3600 arcseconds. What vast gulf separates each of those tiny increments? How does one turn the circle? There is a contagion ubiquitous to this world. It is called hope. Hope spreads the disease called faith. And those poor souls who are infected by faith know no bounds in what they may do. And all it takes to spread hope is a turn of the circle, ever so slight.

Episode 1 : Any Length That Is Needed

Kyōko Sakura was not having a good day. This was not a surprise. There were no good days for a Puella Magi, so far as Kyōko knew. There were only days with more or less food, softer or harder beds, better or worse news. Today was looking up in terms of food, but worse in news. _Homu-homu must really need my help, she even sprung for beef and everything__. Too bad the damn fluffball interrupted dinner._ The thought spurred the girl with the wine-red hair to greater speed along the mean streets of Mitikihara, to find the newest of her competition, er, teammates. _Sayaka Miki's exhaustion is proceeeding faster than expected._ Kyōko shook her head, trying to purge the words of their deceptively-cute patron from her head. _The taint in her Soul Gem is too great. If it is not cleaned soon, she may not be able to change back._ These words were those of Homura, and they spurred Kyōko faster yet.

"Sayaka Miki, if I have to kick your ass again, I'll never forgive you!" Kyōko dashed unerringly to where she knew the blue-haired girl would be. She tried not to contemplate the fact that the sense which she was using to home in on Sayaka was the same sense Kyōko used to hunt Witches. However, even a mission of such dire importance couldn't break Kyōko of her base habits, and a convenient convenience store yielded a pack of crisps and some lychee jellies in under a minute. For one Kyōko Sakura, work for the jaw muscles always got the brain muscles working too. _And why the hell am I rushing off to find her anyway? She's a stupid idiot and weak besides! A hero of justice? Ha! This job sure doesn't reward heroism, and where's the justice in dying for that stupid ferrety fluffball? And what does Sayaka have going for her anyway? With that coy, cocky smile and those deep, beautiful blue eyes. And that damn stubborn demeanor of hers._

Kyōko smashed a jelly cup as she ran, shooting the whole of the jelly into her mouth in one go. _I've never seen that blockhead back down, ever, not even when death looks her in the eye. _Another image blossomed in the mind of the most practical Puella Magi, this of Sayaka's pretty heart-shaped face, as seen across the head of her chain-spear. Sayaka had been disarmed and knocked senseless by an admittedly brilliant assault and she now looked Kyōko directly in the eye as the bloody-minded redhead stooped to deliver the killing blow. _Okay, so maybe our first meeting didn't go so well. I was only trying to secure my territory. _Even in Kyōko's head the words rang hollow. _Oh you stupid stuborn thickheaded girl, you damn well better not die, not until you've apologized for making me feel this way!_ As she ran Kyōko's steadfast heart hammered on, delivering a strange new mix of feelings about her place in the scheme of things.

Suddenly the rounding curve revealed a curious sight: Homura Akemi in her Puella Magi's battledress, aiming a weapon at Sayaka Miki who was dressed just in her school uniform._ Hey, what the hell? Homura, don't think I'm going to let you kill her just because you made me a cheap bowl of noodles! Sayaka is mine! Er, I have first dibs on the kill at least!_ In a flash Kyōko was garbed in her own battle gear, chain-spear reaching out to keep one girl whom she wouldn't admit to caring about from killing another girl whom she wouldn't admit to caring about. The chain ensnared an unsuspecting Homura and Kyōko pounced upon her with the fury of a hunting cat.

"Run! Get the hell out of here!" Kyōko shouted as she tightened up her chain, eliciting a wince. Sayaka climbed to her feet, but managed only to stagger off slowly, a wounded animal who could no longer defend herself from predators and at the same time what was a fluid glowing with the healthy color of oxygenated blood was spoiled by a dash of ink. "Hey! Didn't you come here to save her?" This last was directed at Homura, punctuated with an angry shake of the black-haired princess' shoulders for good measure.

"I came here to save the one who needed saving. Now let go of me." Homura retained a calm as cold as ice, where as Kyōko couldn't help but laugh as her blood sang in her ears.

"And who would that be? Obviously not the Puella Magi who's turning right in front of us!"

"Let. Go."

"Oh, I see, your time trick doesn't work with a passenger, does it?" Kyōko wrapped herself tighter about her opponent, a twisted parody of a lover's embrace. "Good!" she snarled, directly into Homura's ear. A heavy thump signaled Homura's next move, and Kyōko's eyes registered the fat lethal form of a grenade in Homura's hand.

"Do it! Obviously you're gonna knock us all off as soon as we become inconvenient to you, so why don't you save me the trouble and get it over with!" As Kyōko raged, Homura spat, and a pin pinged to the ground. Now she was just a hand-spasm away from blasting the angry girl on her back to scraps. If that bothered Kyōko, she didn't show. "Tell me, did you take out Mami yourself, or did you just sit back and watch?"

"!" was Homura's response. Kyōko was surprised to be flying through the air. As soon as her feet hit the ground the Puella Magi in maroon leaped and leaped again while bullets struck sparks where she had been just microseconds later. The chill serenity that was Homura Akemi was now broken, and in its' place was a furious engine of destruction. Kyōko spun her spear to fend off another shot and then a grin

crept onto her face. "Don't you dare say such a thing again, Kyōko Sakura, or I will kill you!"

"Fine, whatever." Kyōko spat on the ground, then she loosed her spear, the head dancing on supple segments. "You wanna dance, or what?"

"No." Now the ice queen was back. Kyōko cackled at the change.

"Well when you do figure out what the hell you want, lemme know, k?" And Kyōko dispelled her battlegear and walked away at an insolent pace. Homura was left to growl out an inarticulate roar of pain and rage through gritted teeth. Her nails dug into the flesh of her palm but only in one hand. It was then she noticed the still-primed grenade, waiting patiently. Homura discarded the weapon into a corner and snapped time shut out of habit.

"Ah! There you are!" Kyōko let herself collapse into the seat next to Sayaka, heart racing out of proportion to the distance she had run to catch her fellow Puella Magi. All this hard work definitely deserves a reward, Kyōko decided as she dug out her crisps and tore them open. Downing half the packet in one huge gulp, she turned back to the sorrowful blue-haired girl. "When are ya gonna stop being so stupid?" It was a rhetorical question, and so Kyōko was almost shocked enough to stop eating when she heard the answer.

"Sorry for wasting your time. I'll be sure not to be a bother any more."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Kyōko grumbled back, putting away the rest of her snack in another bite.

"Everything I wanted, I can't have. Hope and despair always balance out to zero. That's what you said, right?" Sayaka's shoulders sagged, and she no longer bothered to conceal that which sat in her hand. There was a bit of sickly indigo glow left at the top of her Soul Gem, but that was all that was free of the lethal corruption floating within. "I think I understand now. I gave them hope, and I took the despair into me. Look. It's all I have left now." The last shreds of indigo begin to fade like the last glow of twilight and Sayaka stood, mechanical and oddly calm.

"Sayaka! Stop!" If the words meant anything to her, it did not show on Sayaka's face, shrouded as it was. "You can't give up! People still care about you!" Kyōko was on her feet now too, unwanted tears in her eyes.

"Is that so?" Sayaka held up her Soul Gem while a sick parody of a smile creased her face. "Is that why I'm now shrouded in unending darkness? You'll have to lead me to them, so I can repay them." Instincts honed over the course of dozens of deadly conflicts overrode Kyōko's response and her Puella Magi dress burst into being as she threw herself forward. Kyōko Sakura wore her Soul Gem front and center, over her heart. It said a lot about the girl who created the costume, things which had been dead and buried for some time and had only now begun to reemerge. This also meant that as Kyōko made one desperate attempt to get a hold on Sayaka and stop her from unleashing the hate within her heart, their Soul Gems touched for the briefest instant.

* * *

When I first met you

I didn't like you

I was such a fool

_You should know your eyes can't hide what your heart is thinking._

Sayaka Miki

I wanted to make you hard outside

But you made me soft instead

Do you know how dangerous that is?

_If you can't tell the truth to yourself, you know, you can't be honest with anyone else._

With your 'Hero of Justice' line

You made me sick, made me angry

That I could no longer be myself

That I couldn't hide behind this mask anymore

_I will accept the seed of this sweet pain into my heart so it may bear fruit for you._

I hate you!

Because

I love you-

* * *

The rafters rang with a howl of utter grief as corruption surged within the shell of the Soul Gem. Hot tears splashed down in an unending rain. A symphony of pain rang through the hall, written in fear to a tune which held no hope of repair.

"H-hey, c'mon now. It'll be okay." Sayaka placed a comforting hand upon Kyōko's head as the red-haired girl sobbed uncontrollably into Sayaka's skirt. A great gulping hiccup interrupted the wailing for a moment. And then Kyōko raised her head and saw what her magic had wrought. There in Sayaka's hand was a Soul Gem, still darkly clouded but whole and uncracked and alive with indigo light.

"Oh God," slipped from Kyōko's mouth. It was a curse, or maybe a prayer. "damn you. Damn you. Damn You. Damn You!" Tears flowed freely once again from Kyōko's eyes.

Deep light played over the subdued forms of both Puella Magi. Sayaka's Soul Gem shown an intense royal blue-it was still fairly full of corruption, but there was no longer any danger of the light winking out forever. By contrast, a bloody scarlet light shone upon Kyōko. _What the hell?_ Kyōko dispelled her costume and then held her Soul Gem up to the light. It was . . . filthy, to say the least, like wine mixed with tar. _Damn! And of course I don't have any on me._

"Whoa! What's going on there?" Sayaka pointed at the corrupted Soul Gem. As the blue-haired girl put a finger to the precious stone a shock lanced through Kyōko, like a heart attack and a birthday surprise all rolled into one. She swooned for a moment. "I'm the one whose Soul Gem should be dirty, not the brutally efficient murderous thief Kyōko Sakura." The words seemed to rebound upon Sayaka and she blushed and turned away. "Y-you fool."

"You're the one who is the fool, S-s-sayaka-s-san. Did you think n-no one would m-m-miss you?" Kyōko was barely able to get the words out. _Why did it have to happen like this? Damn you Sayaka Miki, why did you have to break down all my defenses? Now I can't lie to you, and I don't know how to tell the truth._ A finger turned Kyōko's head until she was looking at Sayaka who held her gaze despite the tears brimming in her wide blue eyes. _I can hear you, you know._

_Oh fuck._

"Hey now, that's not very ladylike!" Sayaka waggled a stern finger at Kyōko, but cracked up soon after. The sound wasn't quite healthy, but it was as welcome as the sun rising after a storm-wracked night. A bit of a smirk crossed Kyōko's face, and she decided to hold it there. The smile felt very good after the terrors of the day.

"Well in case you hadn't noticed, I'm not much of a lady." Kyōko grumped back, more out of habit than anything.

"You sure got that right! You're brash, rude, a thief and you dress like a delinquent. And you could stand to steal your way into a bathhouse a little more often." The remarks landed like bullseye arrows in Kyōko's heart and she found herself nodding along to each point. "You only think of yourself when you fight and you're definitely no ally of justice." Now Sayaka's voice began to thicken and get husky as she continued. "I never could understand how your Soul Gem could shine so bright. So why?" Tears returned to Sayaka's eyes. "Why did you give all that up for me?"

"You know, I thought I hated you the first time I met you." Kyōko's voice was little more than a hoarse whisper. "But it was only because you showed me how much of a coward I am. You refused to make the choice I thought had to be made to survive as a Puella Magi and you managed to keep going. And every time I saw you I couldn't stop thinking about you. And when I saw you give in back there, I knew I had to act. Because I couldn't bear to lose you." Once again Kyōko held out her Soul Gem to reveal the damage done. "So, I don't regret it one bit."

"It's okay. I forgive you." The words were scarred by a voice which still held pain, but there was something else there, a ghost of impishness which was new to Kyōko, and it made her blink and look to see what was happening now. "I forgive you for stealing my precious first kiss."

"A-wha?" Kyōko's mouth hung open in disbelief as her traumatized brain tried and failed to process what she was hearing. And then there were soft sweet lips pressed to her own. Fortunately the heart of Kyōko Sakura, bruised and fettered as it was, understood what was happening and kicked her brain out of the decision-making process. Kyōko returned the kiss and for an eternal second two souls were as one.

Sayaka broke free with a sudden "Ow!" and Kyōko's heart nearly seized, her frightened eyes going wide. _No! Please don't let anything have happened to her now!_ But Sayaka just broke out in a grin. "I'm gonna have to be more careful next time. Either that or you're gonna have to file down those fangs," mused the blue-haired girl as she poked at one of Kyōko's prominent canines. The girls held each other's eye for just a moment before both breaking and flopping to the floor in helpless laughter.

"If you are quite finished," came a voice from behind. Homura Akemi was then obliged to take half a step back as a needle-sharp speartip came within mere inches of the soft flesh of her throat.

"Back to bother us some more, is that it? Do you wanna feel the wrath of the Knight of Justice?" Homura's eyes narrowed as she regarded the crusading lance with its' royal purple pennant. A quick shove pushed the weapon aside and Homura locked gazes with a fuming Sayaka Miki.

"No. I am here to investigate a strong magical disturbance I felt from the area, and clean up any aftermath." Homura flicked a hand through her long lacquer-black hair in an unconscious gesture. "Care to explain what happened here?"

"Eh, why not?" Kyōko gave a sharp-toothed grin. "But first off, can you spot me a Seed? I'm really hurtin' here." For emphasis the red-haired girl held up her sickly crimson Soul Gem. That sight was enough to knock Homura back a step.

"Uh, sure." Homura dug in a pocket and came up with a ball of blackened iron with a needle-sharp point at one end and tossed it near Kyōko. _Hey, can you still hear me? _A tiny nod of the head was Sayaka's response. _Let's freak her out a bit, what'd'ya say? _Kyōko's heart warmed as she could _feel_ her fellow Puella Magi's devious mirth at the idea. Pocketing her Soul Gem, Kyōko picked up the Grief Seed. The blackened fragment was all that remained of a Witch's soul. This one had a faint aroma of sugary sweetness to it, which caused a momentary twinge in Kyōko's gut as she spun the Seed upon its' tip like a top upon her fingertip. _Risks of the job, I guess. Sorry Mami, farewell._ Kyōko put the bitter memory behind and drew out her Soul Gem.

"A-ha!" the redhead cried as she lofted the stone, as precious as life itself, in a careless arc. In it's place Sayaka's own Soul Gem landed, having just been thrown in a parallel arc. The girls grinned at each other and then thrust the other's Soul Gem to the Grief Seed at the same time. Foul wisps of smoke were pulled from both Gems into the spinning Seed until finally the blackened Seed fell to the ground, filled to capacity with corruption. Both Soul Gems were looking a bit healthier now, if nothing like the perfect shining specimens the girls had first possessed when Kyubey made his contract and drew them into the wicked world of the Puella Magi.

"I . . . see." Homura was beginning to develop an unhealthy twitch beneath one eye as she watched the scene unfold. "Vulgar, but interesting. I assume that this is somehow related to the situation?" the black-haired princess flicked her hair aside again in an attempt to regain her air of nonchalant coolness. _Hey, so I wonder what would happen if we just . . . cut her hair 1cm short of where she flips it?_ This made Kyōko snicker aloud, earning a dirty look from Homura. _I'd imagine she'd go completely frothing mad in a day!_

"Yeah, you could say that, Princess. I found Sayaka here almost at her limit and well one thing led to another and we ended up sharing souls for a moment ('and spit!' cackled Sayaka. 'hey shuddup, my story!' Kyōko snapped back, until the angry tapping of a foot reminded them of the humor-challenged person to which the story was being related), which apparently spreads the corruption evenly through both gems. So did it make a really big bang?"

"You might say that. I felt it clear over at the park by the fountain."

"And so you came running to help, how sweet." The amount of sarcasm in Kyōko's voice was sufficient to slay a medium-sized politician. Homura flicked her hair again and bored in on the cackling redhead.

"I came here to make sure there was nothing happening which would jeopardize my mission."

"Yeah yeah yeah." muttered Kyōko as she felt around for her emergency backup. The redhead's face lit up when she laid ahold of the packet in question, but then she slumped into a frown when she discovered that the contents had been thoroughly smashed at some point. _Still_, Kyōko thought as she tore into the foil, _gooey half-melted and broken Pocky is better than no Pocky at all._ "Want somf?" Kyōko asked around a mouthful of the snack, holding the packet out towards Sayaka.

"Yeaaah no. You can go right ahead."

"So what do you say Princess? Do we _pass_? Are we _not-a-threat_ enough for you?" Kyōko jabbed a Pocky stick at Homura for emphasis, and then the world twitched a bit and the stick was at the corner of Homura's mouth. Kyōko's brows furled together and she aimed a quality glare in the black-haired girl's direction. For her part, Homura chewed and chewed until just a tiny stub of the biscuit stick stuck out of her lip, which she spat away. Now a low growl erupted from Kyōko's throat which well matched her prominent fangs. "What exactly the hell is your damn mission anyway?"

"I must make sure Madoka Kaname does not make the contract to become a Puella Magi. It is of the utmost importance, and I will go to any length that is needed to accomplish that goal." As she spoke, Homura withdrew a big Beretta automatic pistol from the pocketspace which existed within the magic buckler which rode on her left forearm, slowly and calm so as not to provoke another aggressive response from either of the Puella Magi sitting before her. Then she drew out a fresh, full magazine and slammed it home in the well of the pistol and racked the slide, letting the metallic crack punctuate her point.

"Wait, what the fuck (So you are just a pervert stalker)?" Both Kyōko and Sayaka flinched and looked at each other as they spoke at the same time. Kyōko gave a short nod, and Sayaka continued. "_That_ is what all this about? Madoka? What the fuck do you care? You don't even know her!" Whatever either of the Puella Magi had expected from Homura, it was definitely not a strangled gasp followed by the black-haired princess dropping to her knees as though she had been gut-shot. A thin whine escaped Homura's lips and quickly ran up the register until it was a piercing howl of pain, broken only by short, choking sobs.

"Oh, shit! I wasn't expecting that!" Kyōko didn't even notice the bit of Pocky that dropped from her open mouth, so great was her shock at the sudden change. And then another sight caught her eye- this a creeping stain overtaking the lovely violet light in the gemstone upon the back of Homura's hand. "_OH SHIT!_"


	2. Will You To Love

Episode 2 : Will You To Love

"_OH SHIT!_" wasn't particularly eloquent but it did sum up the situation quite well for Kyōko Sakura as she saw her fellow Puella Magi, Homura Akemi, drop to her knees like a moldy sack of rice as corruption ate up the pure violet light in her Soul Gem. It was the preordained fate of every Puella Magi to become a victim of despair, at which point the last light in her Soul Gem would fade along with her life At one point in time, the deadly predator that had been Kyōko might have witnessed the change occurring before her with relish, as it would have meant getting rid of a cunning and tenacious opponent without even having to do the work herself. But Kyōko was no longer that person, which made for a bit of a dilemma.

"Sayaka, what do we do? This is bad. Really bad." Kyōko stood over the inert form of the black-haired girl who had until just now been their most worrysome obstacle. _Well, okay, technically she still is I suppose._

_No shit, Sherlock-chan._ On any other night the revelation encaspulated in that thought, that Kyōko Sakura had shared her soul with the self-proclaimed ally of justice Sayaka Miki in order to bring the blue-haired girl back from the brink of despair and as a result both girls thoughts echoed as loud as words in the others' minds, at any other time that would have taken precedence. But now with Homura laid out before them, dying in a slow burn of despair as surely as if she had been struck down by a weapon, that connection was just _there_, to be handled later when there was time. In spite of the situation, a smile was stuck to Kyōko's face. Just having the connection with the foolhardy, naive, boisterous, outspoken, irritating, beautiful blue-haired girl was buoying the rampageous redhead's soul. _Like a hot meal and and a cool shower after 40 days and 40 nights in the desert. _A quick peek confirmed the presence of a luminescent blush on Sayaka's face.

"Okay, first thing's first, we need a place to sit down and figure out what to do. C'mon!" The effort of hoisting up Homura's body drew a grunt from Kyōko. "Oof, you're heavier than you look Princess. You need to cut back on the snacks!" There was a soft slap as Sayaka's hand met her forehead at considerable speed. Then the blue-haired girl was obligated to put on some considerable speed of her own, because Kyōko was making really good speed for as much as she complained about the size of her burden.

"Do I wanna know how you have a key to this place?" Sayaka looked around in disbelief. Kyōko's idea of a 'safehouse' was a suite room in the Tower, one of the major landmarks in Mitikahara Town and far and away the nicest hotel in the area.

"You really don't." Kyōko laid Homura out on one of the two queen-size beds. "But I can give you a tour sometime after we've dealt with the Princess here if you want." At first Sayaka was confused to what the redhead was going on about with her fang-filled grin, but then their empathic link filled in the rest of the meaning for her.

"You're horrible! I should have never kissed you!" Sayaka had to turn away as she felt her face turn hot.

"Hey, that's not very nice! I thought we were friends Blueberry!" The look of put-out hurt on Kyōko's face was utterly ruined by a wide grin showing off her prominent canines.

"Whatever gave you that idea?" Sayaka held an icy stare just long enough for fear to knife into Kyōko's heart, then she let her own grin slowly dawn upon her face. Kyōko gave a raspberry back for her troubles.

"Jeez, you're just as bad as Homerun there. Anyway, you wanna give Pinkie a call, maybe she can help out."

"Uh, sure, but wait- where are you going!" Kyōko was most the way out the door by the time Sayaka called on her.

"I'm gonna get some brain food!"

Madoka Kaname, the non-magical girl who was at the intersection of the various calamities pressing in on the Puella Magi of Mitikahara had already arrived by the time Kyōko returned. The little pink-haired girl with the big red eyes was physically the same age as Sayaka, but her smaller stature made her seem younger. _And the innocence on that face makes her younger still. Even Blueberry didn't look that naive when I first, er, met her._ As she had come to expect, Sayaka was able to hear the thoughts in Kyōko's head, and she turned to look at the redhead. Kyōko noticed that Madoka had been crying, and also that Sayaka was holding her friend's hands. It was meant to be a gesture of comfort, but it still sent a twinge of jealousy down Kyōko's spine. To cover over the faux pas, but also to get their hands apart, Kyōko tossed two cans of sweet tea to the other girls.

"That's your idea of brain food? How have you managed to live this long you rotten delinquent?" Sayaka was referring to the bags on the redhead's arm, filled with various bagged candy and savory snacks, meat buns, jam buns, and what looked like enough Pocky to put Sayaka's whole homeroom class into sugar comas. Crumbs on Kyōko's face were testament to the fact that the haul must have already been depleted somewhat on the way back. "You know if you could cleanse your Soul Gem with all that junk, I'd understand, but seriously, what the hell?"

"Hey, don't knock it," muttered Kyōko, although with a whole meat bun in her mouth at the time it came out more like "umm um unn ahh uh." A packet of Pocky made for a pointer as Kyōko indicated Homura's comatose body on the bed. "How's the Princess doing?"

"Still no change." Sayaka held a gem up to the light, where it gave off wan purple light. "She's not getting worse, well not quickly at least. But she's not getting any better either." A disgusted shake of the head said as much as any words, and then Sayaka handed off the Soul Gem to Madoka, who clutched the precious object to her chest.

"Well isn't this rich." Kyōko prodded Homura's cheek with a Pocky stick. "The super genius Puella Magi Princess who has all the answers, is, _of course_, the one who's eating floor. Well, in a manner of speaking." Suddenly the Pocky was gone and both of Kyōko's hand were wrapped around Homura's throat, lifting off the bed. "Damn you! You are forbidden to die, you hear me! I still have a bone to pick with you Princess!" With each emphatic shake that punctuated her rant, Kyōko definitely did not notice the dead rag-doll flopping of Homura's body. In fact she took great pains to keep the image out of her head and she especially did not give any attention to how much it resembled Sayaka's own near-dead state when the blue-haired girl had been separated from her Soul Gem. "Do you hear me! There are people out here who don't want to have to cry at your funeral! Do you want to be responsible for our shed tears? Do you?"

_Technically speaking, that isn't true._ At once three heads snapped around to look at the owner of the voice which had just entered their minds. There sat Kyubey with his smug plastic grin firmly fixed in place and his huge fluffy tail flicking back and forth, much like a curious cat. Then the fluffball put his nose in Kyōko's bag of goodies, somehow keeping his big round eyes locked on the Puella Magi at the same time.

"Get your nose outta that bag or you're barbecue!" Kyōko barked, snatching up the bag. Tearing into a fortifying bag of rice crackers, the red-haired girl continued, "And what do you mean 'that's not correct'?"

_Completely exhausting her Soul Gem is not the end for a Puella Magi. It is merely the catalyst for her to transform into the next stage of her being._ The pouch of crackers slipped from numb hands and spilled across the floor as the pieces clicked in place in Kyōko's mind, just a second before Kyubey confirmed the terrible knowledge. _This second stage is the form of being that you know as a "Witch." The Grief Seed, likewise, is the Witch's version of a Soul Gem. In fact while it has never been observed, it is hypothesized that if a Witch were to retain her full awareness, she could "farm" Puella Magi for their Soul Gems to increase her own impurity and thus her power in much the same way as you all farm Witches for Grief Seeds. Excuse me, my apologies, not _all_ of you._ Kyubey turned his glowing red eyes upon Madoka, but it was apparent she was not listening. Tears ran in rivers down her pretty face and Madoka clutched the Soul Gem in her hands so tight that her knuckles turned white.

"H-how could anything be so cruel? H-homura-c-chan . . . We'll save you. We will find a way, I p-p-promise!" _I do not know of any way to restore a Soul Gem without the Puella Magi's conscious cooperation, but then I do not well understand how your magic works at all. But I know one way which may work, even though I cannot guarantee it will do so. _This got all three girls' interest, if for different reasons. _Make a contract with me, Madoka Kaname. You could wish to refill Homura Akemi's Soul Gem."_ Red eyes turned to meet blue and even without their empathic connection Kyōko and Sayaka found themselves of one mind. A mutual nod of determination confirmed the decision and then both shot out a hand flat.

_I recognize this from other humans I have witnessed. "Rock-paper-scissors" I believe it is called? I must confess I do not understand ways of beings who have been infected with emotions, but from what information I have, is this not considered an inappropriate time for such a game?_ Kyōko closed up her fist into rock with a sly flourish and bonked Sayaka's scissors, ending the game. Then she turned to look at Kyubey, red against red.

A tapered double-edged blade like a rapier shot forth and was buried to the quillons through the unchanging smile on the devious little contractor's face. With a twist of the wrist, and some intentional shakes besides, Kyōko turned the blade and ripped it out the top of Kyubey's body. Instead of meat and organs, all that spilled from the wound was some warm fluff, the consistency of cotton candy. Madoka's mouth hung open as though she wanted to scream but had no sound to let out.

Sayaka threw her arms around her oldest friend and pulled Madoka close. "Hey, hey, it's okay. We'll find a way to fix this without his help. I wouldn't trust anything he says anymore anyway. And besides, you know Homura-chan wouldn't want you to make a wish on her behalf, right?"

"Y-yeah." Madoka was still crying, but she summoned up a brave smile for Sayaka. "I'm surprised she didn't wake up and bop me one just for thinking about it."

"That's the spirit. Now drink some tea." Sayaka handed a can which even had a bit of cold left to it over and watched for the telltale signs of her best friend's spirit righting itself, a ship unsinkable by any storm which had come their way so far.

_You shouldn't waste magical energy so carelessly._ Shock jolted through Kyōko at the sound of that voice. Kyubey reentered the room, phasing through the door as he had the first time. The sinister little creature didn't even attempt the "innocent and cheery mascot" act as he walked over to his corpse and began eating it. _Killing this body will not harm me, but you may not have the energy to spare._ Again the narrow blade shot forth, this time spiking into the partially-eaten corpse.

"Ahh, take your fucking dinner outside! That's disgusting!" Kyōko jumped to her feet, threw open the window, and flicked the mass of fluff out to splatter upon the pavement below. Kyubey sailed out the window in pursuit, possibly aided by Sayaka's swift kick. The narrow blade withstood Kyōko's inspection from end to end before she dispelled it and clapped some non-existent dust from her hands. "Hey, Sayaka, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" A dirty look was all the reply that was given. "Looks like we're gonna have to go in and do it ourselves."

After a flurry of preparation (on Madoka's part), mourning (on Kyōko's part, for the rice crackers which had been ground into the carpet), and cursing (on Sayaka's part, at Kyōko for gobbling up the crackers which hadn't been trampled), the girls were ready to begin. Kyōko took up her Soul Gem in her left hand and Madoka's left hand in her right hand. Madoka took Sayaka's right hand in her left, leaving the blue-haired girl to hold her Soul Gem in her right hand. Then on cue, both girls pressed their Soul Gems to Homura's, which nestled between the black-haired girl's folded hands.

* * *

_Hey, transfer student!_

I'd like to put in a transfer

To another world

Account Management says

You have completed too many transfers recently

You must wait at least 30 days for another transfer

Where are you gonna go this time?

_PVP is where the pro game is, y'know_

_PVE is for losers. Anyone can faceroll the dungeons if they try enough times._

But

That's not what I'm here for

Then what do you want?

I want the precious thing!

_I heard that was stolen?_

Besides, didn't you know?

When they catch you hacking the system, you get banned and they take away all your stuff!

* * *

_A wide open field of rich green grass blowing in the wind beneath a crisp blue sky. Standing in the middle of the field is a lovely neat farmhouse with a barn and a windmill. You approach this inviting scene_ as a tornado tears its' way through, scattering debris and bodies_ and you are beckoned inside for lunch. On the table sits a wonderful feast _of IV bags full of chemotherapy fluid _graciously laid out by your host. But where is everybody? See, there? The dog _no that's Kyubey_ is chasing his tail. Isn't that amusing? No? Well you should try out back. They must have just stepped out. The door is propped open to let fresh air in through the screen_ which tears apart with a squeal of metal like a baby's cry from the strike of a sword.

Kyōko shook her head and kicked her way through the rest of the seriously disturbed set piece. Sayaka followed close behind still holding tight to Madoka's hand as the pink-haired girl brought up the rear. What lay beyond was a dreamscape constructed of just the garden variety horrors which crop up between when the alarm first goes off in the morning and the snooze alarm starts wailing. Books lay piled everywhere, all of them shredded, burned, or shot through with holes. Morbid curiosity drove Kyōko to pick up one and open it. Inside a grainy, blurry video played, showing a clumsy little girl with her hair done up in braids smashing something with a golf club. A person who looked to be Mami Tomoe was watching, so Kyōko snapped the book shut before she could make eye contact with the Puella Magi who was no longer alive. A snake rolled past then, having swallowed its' own tail and taken to travelling like a runaway hula hoop.

"There!" Madoka pointed at where the fractured sky glowed just a bit violet. As they closed, the girls found Homura. And wished they hadn't. The black-haired beauty was fetched up against the side of a mountain, looking anything but the cool, controlled Puella Magi they knew from the outside world. This Homura was a scared little girl, thrashing in pain with her flesh torn away in many places. The breaches were like breaches in an eggshell, and from each wound, purple light leaked forth. A viscous black rain fell in dashes, and wherever a raindrop impacted one of the tears upon Homura it left a stain upon the purple glow and made a shrieking sound. No. Not a shriek- each sound was definitely a cry, and although many were so raw as to not even sound human, the girls could clearly make out the sound.

_Madoka! MADOKA! MA-DO-KAAAaaaaa!_ And the girl herself flinched with each repetition as the pain in all those voices bit into her heart.

"W-w-what do we do? Homura-chan, she's in so much pain! I-i'm sorry!" Tears now leaked from Madoka's eyes, hanging on her pretty face like little gemstones. "P-please, forgive me!" Madoka Kaname added her own cry to the symphony of sorrow being played out in this cruel valley and her tears splashed upon Homura's broken form.

And where these teardrops fell . . .

BGM: Alstroemeria Records - Plastik World - "God Know Will You To Love From True"

New skin grew, covering over the grevious wounds. And then the mountain shook.

"God grant me strength . . . " Kyōko looked up . . . and up . . . and up, until she gazed upon the face of the monster which was the mountain. Another tremor ran through the ground, a growl of anger from the being which worked to destroy Homura. "Hey, Blueberry."

Sayaka broke free from her shock to turn and look at Kyōko. She dearly wanted to tell her red-headed teammate to stop calling her that, but now was definitely not the time, so she settled for "What?"

"Keep the waterworks goin'."

BGM: Alstroemeria Records - Plastik World - "Plain Asia"

Kyōko shot skyward with her Puella Magi dress assembling itself around her. In each hand was one of the narrow-bladed swords and now that battle was upon her, the redhead felt their true potential. Perfectly sharp points darted outward to knock away black rain with a sizzling sound, reaching as far as Kyōko needed them to at any given time and yet coming around fast and smooth to cover all angles.

Up here at the top, Kyōko realized that the rain was actually falling from the monster's hands. _Well, that's easy enough._ Rapier blades licked out and amputated one of the gigantic appendages at the wrist, and Kyōko had just enough time for a cocky grin to cross her face before the stump exploded in a torrent of black rain. And then there were two hands reaching for her. "Goddamnit!" spat Kyōko as she worked her swords in a fury to keep the tendrils of darkness from reaching her. She was almost successful.

_I am not dying in your fucking _head_ Homura! I _will _bail on your sorry ass well before that happens._ Even as she made the promise to herself, however, Kyōko demonstrated just how devoted she was to the idea by ducking beneath the hydra hand to scatter another shower of the black rain before it could reach the vulnerable forms below, accepting a fly-swatter slap for her troubles. Kyōko rode out the attack, letting the hand throw her through the air and bleed off that momentum into the air rather than resist and be crushed, but then she saw that she was headed for the monster's other arm, where another hand waited to clap her into oblivion. The final blow came on quickly-

But the hand stopped dead with a musical chime. Sayaka stood braced against the lethal appendage, leaning into a shield woven from a line of symphonic score. Little quarter notes sprang off here and there where sparks would have flown from a shield made of steel. "Who said you get to have all the fun?" shouted Sayaka over the din of her own magic.

"What about downstairs?"

"Eh, I think they're gonna be okay."

* * *

"Homura-chan, I'm sorry." Madoka knelt over the girl's broken form, needing no help in letting tears fall from her eyes.

_God know will you to love from true - In this halved body_

"You've been trying to look out for me all this time and didn't even say 'thank you' for it."

_God know will you to love from true - True love_

"And all this grief is my fault, and I can't even do anything to make up for it. I don't care if you end up hating me, just please don't die."

_God know will you to love from true - Exists_

"The only wish I could ask for, is to see you smile one more time."

_God know will you to love from true - Even now_

* * *

"Damn this thing! Why couldn't you have gotten a nice big hammer as your weapon or something?" Kyōko whirled in place, cutting three fingers into slices of black vapor before they could close upon Sayaka, who returned the favor by pricking a palm with a thrust of her spear, causing the monster appendage to spasm open, away from the redhead. There was apparently a limit to how much stuff the monster could push out, and right now the Puella Magi were destroying their attacker faster than it could regenerate, but it was not a matter of _if _their magnificent dance would end in tragedy, but _how soon._

"Well excuuuse me! I didn't ask you to steal my weapon either you know, and I sure didn't ask to be stuck with this stupid thing either!" For emphasis Sayaka speared a finger with her lance through what would be the knuckle, if these horrid constructs had any defining features. An augur of cobalt magic spun up in time with the blue-haired girl's roar of anger and then the finger finally exploded, spraying black fluid in all directions and buying another precious second or so. Sweat ran all down Sayaka's face and crawled along the inside of her Puella Magi outfit in uniquely uncomfortable ways and the hammer of her heart beat in time with the hum of Kyōko's pair of swords at work.

"I think we might- actually- be screwed." Kyōko was reduced to straight out panting, and though her swords still wove a net of razors about her body, they felt like traincars which had been filled with cement.

"Then why don't you get the hell out of here! Save yourself! It's what you do best, isn't it!" As Sayaka raged, she concentrated on stabbing through a wrist since the new hands took the longest to regrow, despite the danger. She turned to look at Kyōko, hope and pity in her eyes.

"Aww hell no! You think Pinkie would forgive me if I let you get snuffed?" _You think I could forgive myself? _Sayaka felt the last thought carry through their bond. Inside, she shivered. _Damnit! Why __did you have to make me feel this way, Kyōko Sakura? I was fine living in a limbo where I could worship Kamijou-kun without ever having to actually take a step further! Now what am I supposed to do? I can really hold you in my hands, which means you can also slip from my grasp!_ Kyōko blinked away the shock as she heard what was going on inside Sayaka's head, but before she could respond, a new voice cut in.

_Sayaka Miki, stand clear_. Sayaka looked around to figure out where the voice was coming from when she saw a shooting star rocket up towards them, coming on faster and faster until it hit the point where time ended. With the object embedded in a pocket of timelessness, both Puella Magi could see that it was a bomb. Quite a lot of bomb, actually. A bullet came streaking in afterward to stick in the non-time as well, and that was when Kyōko and Sayaka both decided they needed to be _any_where else at that moment. Time began again and the bullet slammed into the detonator, triggering a thunderous explosion right at the level of the monster's face. The being of black rain unwound before the force of the blast, coming apart into ribbons of jaundiced yellow and the red of old dried blood which fluttered slowly into nothingness and then the girls were holding hands once more, in the hotel room once more.

And Homura Akemi opened her eyes, searching the room for a moment before settling upon Madoka. "Your wish is granted," said Homura as she let a smile light up her face. Cheers rang out from all three of the girls and they crowded in and hugged Homura and welcomed her back to the world of the living.

"Kyōko Sakura. I propose a trade." This made the red-haired girl blink in surprise, and she tried to act nonchalant as Homura locked on to her. " I need food."

"Uh, okay." Kyōko dug in her bag and came up with a jam-filled bun, the best of the haul which was left. "You said trade, so what are you offering?" she asked, holding the bun as if it were the grandest of treasures.

"I will give you this." Homura opened her hand to reveal a Grief Seed, small but as-yet unused, with a faint scent of roses upon it. In her other hand, the black-haired girl felt two things; one was a Soul Gem and she knew it would be as vibrant purple as it had been in a long time, and the other was a ribbon, which she knew would be red.


	3. A Meaningless Gesture

Episode 3 : A Meaningless Gesture

"Ahh, Mitikahara Student Academy, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways!" Sayaka Miki wrapped her arms around one of the elegant tables in the dining area of her school before thumping gratefully into a booth.

"Indeed," said Homura Akemi as she took a seat at the same table. Things had taken a shocking turn for the normal after their long dark night. The rain promised in the forecast had been light and quick, leaving everything fresh and clean, a model spring day. Even Kyubey was behaving, for a wonder. None of the Puella Magi nor the extraordinary ordinary girl who was the heart of their group trusted the alien creature's "cute harmless magical mascot" act, but neither did they mind it. Madoka Kaname joined the table and began regaling her friends with the latest gossip scooped up between classes when another girl joined the table.

"Hey, Hi-tomi . . ?" Sayaka had been expecting Hitomi Shizuki to join them, seeing as how the green-haired pretty girl had been one of her and Madoka's closest friends before the whole Puella Magi mess started, and besides they had some unfinished business. Instead the new girl was unfamiliar despite wearing the standard-issue Mitikahara, with deep red hair bound in a fat braid down her back and cute oval glasses perched on her nose, changing the shape of her face just enough that Sayaka didn't immediately catch on.

"Guess again!" exclaimed Kyōko Sakura as she flicked Sayaka on the forehead with a bejeweled middle finger.

"A-wha-!" Sayaka pressed a hand to the welt on her forehead. "Hey, ow! That actually hurt! And how did you get in here anyhow? And what's with that uniform?" The questions spilled out one after the other without actually leaving room for an answer.

"Employee perk, I suspect." Homura gave as an answer to Sayaka's last question, taking a small sip of tea for cover as she delivered the barb. Madoka and Sayaka both went red in the face; neither was so innocent as to be unaware of the rumors of Kageyama, an infamous "full service" cosplay bar located in one of the seedier districts of the city.

"Why you . . ." Kyōko raised a fist to exact punishment upon the black-haired girl, veins popping through the taut skin. "See if I every save your sorry ass again Princess!" The redhead glared straight on at Homura, who met her gaze, but only for a moment before quailing as light flashed across Kyōko's glasses.

". . . don't look at me like that." The sudden shift in mood had both Sayaka and Madoka paying close attention now, but Kyōko was still oblivious to the feeling behind Homura's words.

"Oh yeah, and why not!" By now the commotion was drawing a bit of attention to the girls, but upon seeing the blue smudge of Sayaka's hair at the table making all the noise, most of the students filed the situation under Ordinary Everyday Stupidity and ignored it. Sayaka Miki had a bit of a reputation as an agent of chaos at Mitikahara Student Academy, and so by extension anyone in her circle of friends must either be okay with it or a wildcard themselves. Shame that she'd ruined the transfer student, she seemed like such a nice girl at first was the prevailing opinion.

"Because I don't like the look of your eyes."

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You don't want to know."

"Well maybe I do! Out with it Princess, or maybe you'd like to try a change of style like maybe a pageboy cut?" Homura Akemi was an exceptionally sturdy girl, especially after being pulled from the previous day's nightmare. She was utterly indifferent to taunts and threats, and cared not at all if someone impugned her morals or character, so long as it didn't interfere with her mission. But the hair? No. That was taking things entirely too far. Homura flicked her left hand through the long silky black tresses for reassurance, then held out the hand to Kyōko.

"You really want to know?" she asked the rampageous redhead, letting the light play along the ring which carried her Soul Gem in its' dormant form. Kyōko nodded with a sharp-toothed grin and touched her own ring to Homura's.

* * *

Kyōko found herself in a freeze-frame of a bizarrely-familiar scene - a railway stop on the Mitikahara Town Line. Standing in front of "her" was Kyōko Sakura, and her senses told her that Madoka Kaname stood off to one side and Mami Tomoe stood on the other.

_Okay, that's really weird, _Kyōko mused as she looked at herself through another's eyes. It was not quite like looking through a mirror, because at least a mirror didn't layer on the viewer's opinion of the image. The memory conveyed a weird sine-wave current of contempt and yet confidence. Obviously, Homura didn't much like Kyōko, but counted on her when the chips were down.

_Ahh, it's so nice to be appreciated,_ mused Kyōko as she inhabited Homura's past. When they had fought to release Homura from the prison of her mind last night, the other Puella Magi had come to discover that their violent violet comrade was a time-traveller who had relived the last month many times over in order to achieve a goal. Her exact desires were buried so deeply that not even assaulting her psyche directly had revealed what drove Homura Akemi, but Kyōko knew it had something to do with Madoka.

_Speaking of, oh, oh ho! That's too much! _Uncontrollable mirth rolled through Kyōko as she looked around in Homura's memories to see Madoka dressed as a Puella Magi. The slight girl's costume was very pink and very, very cute. _Straight out of a _Shōjo _anime, that's our Pinkie alright. That hair color must be because she has bubblegum for brains. _Then the scene began moving again, and she watched Madoka just break and fall to her knees, tears running freely from her eyes. It was at that moment Kyōko's mind registered something that was important for its' absence.

_Sayaka!_ _Why would you let Madoka cry like that . . . oh no!_ Kyōko tuned in to the feelings coming from the memory and detected a new sensation: grief. And the feeling that the little dead-black iron ball clenched in "her" hand at the moment was far more precious as a keepsake than any value it ordinarially had for a Puella Magi. Then dread rolled through the link as the owner of the memory bolstered herself for what was coming next.

Golden ribbon whipped out and ensnared "her" body, rendering her helpless for what came next. A musket fired with a deep bellow punctuated by the sound of breaking glass . . . or a breaking gemstone. Kyōko followed the view presented to her by the memory just in time to lock onto a familiar set of beautiful red eyes, but she was unable to do anything other than watch as everything that was Kyōko Sakura drained from those eyes. The empty corpse flopped to the floor with a cold _slap_ and there the memory itself broke apart and fell away, returning the shaken girls to the comfortable mundane surroundings of the dining room.

* * *

". . . I'm so sorry," Kyōko mumbled, still holding on to Homura's hands. The black-haired girl turned away from Kyōko with an irritated sniff.

"!" came a new voice behind them. "Kaname-san, who is this strange person? A-and what is she doing with Akemi-san?" Hitomi Shizuki had arrived, with impeccable timing as always. _If only I could choose how far back to rewind time, I could shoot either the red one or the green one before this even happened. Or maybe both, for good measure._ Kyōko stuck out her tongue at Homura. _Hey I heard that!_ The surprise of hearing someone unbidden in her mind rattled Homura just a bit, but then Sayaka piled on. _You're not shooting either of my friends, you bitch! Well, unless Kyōko invites me up to her room again, but you only get to kneecap her._ Simultaneous disbelieving looks in red and purple were aimed at Sayaka while Madoka all but broke down giggling. _You _will_ explain to me how this works as soon as possible._

When she got the giggles under control, Madoka supplied the introductions. "Hitomi-chan, this is Kyōko Sakura, a friend of ours from, ah, another class. Kyōko-san, this is Hitomi Shizuka. We've been friends since we started here at Mitikahara." Kyōko put a polite if fang-filled smile on her face, but what the other girls heard was _Mossy, I owe you a punch in the gut._

_Kyōko, no! Yes she hurt me, but I'll deal with that myself, got it?_ Kyōko did her best to still pretend to be engaged and present in the outside world as she got ready to argue with Sayaka in her mind, but Hitomi noticed as her friend and the odd redhead started to blank out anyway. _Nah, I more meant on general principle. But I can hold her down if you need to do anything yourself._ The other girls could practically feel Kyōko's canines come out in a nasty grin. Sayaka was the furthest possible thing from amused. _Principl__e? Ha! That's rich, coming from you, you delinquent devil! Why in the hell did I ever fall for you!_ Mercifully, Kyōko had no reply. However, that just meant there was plenty of room for Madoka to bring something to Sayaka's attention.

"Um, Sayaka-san, um . . . " Sayaka looked from Madoka's blushing down-turned face to Hitomi's wide-eyed pale-faced goggling, and then she realized she hadn't exactly put that last bit through the empathic link.

"Well, now all the cats are out of the bag, it seems. Are you still sure you don't want me to shoot either of them?" Homura asked from behind another small sip of tea.

* * *

"You could have handled that better." Homura started in as soon as the door closed. She and Kyōko were in one of the rest-rooms adjacent to the main dining facility. While they contained a bathroom as well, the place was a true "room of rest", a peaceful and elegant lounge where students could study, relax, or simply get away from a stressful situation, such as having the entire student body stare at you because you had accidentally broadcast your romantic troubles to the whole room at 80dB.

"Me? Sayaka is the one who blew our cover! Why's it my fault?"

"You deliberately antagonized her, not to mention the fact that Hitomi Shizuka is still her friend. Just because you told Sayaka you love her does not make her your possession." Kyōko shot a black look over at Homura and stuck a stick of Pocky in her mouth.

"At least I actually told her I love her," the red-haired girl growled around her Pocky. The stick immediately exploded into splinters as Homura's open hand cracked across Kyōko's cheek so fast she sword the black-haired girl must have invoked her time-manipulating powers, but the small circular shield which gave Homura mastery over the flow of time was not present when she gave her hair a contemptuous flick. Kyōko angrily dug out a fresh stick of Pocky to replace the one which had been scattered all over the room.

"Hey fuck you too, Princess! That's exactly what I'm talking about! When's the last time you actually let your hair down, er . . . well you know what I mean! It's obvious you care for Pinkie, why don't you let that show?"

"You misunderstand." Homura's eyes were hard and devoid of any warmth, like polished marbles as she replied. "Such concerns would be important to a human. Puella Magi are not human. Therefore there is no need-" This time it was Homura's turn to be interrupted by a slap. Kyōko followed all the way through with her strike, mostly so as not to acknowledge the stinging in her fingers.

"Bull. Shit. You know what a Puella Magi that's not human is? A Witch, that's what! Is that what you want to become? 'Cause I don't wanna hafta watch my back just because you can't be honest with yourself, got it?"

"Then why did you not do the expedient thing last night?"

"Cause I didn't, ok? You wanna make me regret it?"

"You have become soft, Kyōko Sakura. As it is right now, you are not suited to fight against the Walpurgis."

"What, because I'm not willing to remain a burnt-out emotionless walking corpse? Because I latched on to a kind, courageous, beautiful girl so I have a reason to keep fighting? Not everybody can be you Princess!"

"With kindness comes naïveté. Courage becomes foolhardiness. And dedication has no reward. You know that."

"Yeah, maybe I do. But what about you, Hypocrite-sama?" Kyōko raised a stick of Pocky in a mocking salute before crunching down upon it, loudly grinding the biscuit to paste in order to punctuate her point. "If all that is true, why the fuck do you keep going?"

"It is for the sake of Madoka Kaname." There was a crack in Homura's voice where pain and longing leaked out, just a tiny bit, and Kyōko's first instinct was to stab into that crack and keep poking and twisting until something broke loose. _Sure it's stupid and dangerous. Can't let my reputation get tarnished now can I?_

_Tell me you're not going to get yourself in trouble again._ Kyōko felt Sayaka's frown clearly across the link. "I can hear you, you know. And I was not aware you had a reputation worth keeping." Homura added. Sweat beaded and rolled down the side of Kyōko's face. _This is starting to become inconvenient, y'know?_

"Okay, never mind that. Why are you so obsessed with Madoka? You just met her less than a week ago." Homura's eye started to twitch, a minor tic that was for her what a hair-pulling window-breaking profanity-soaked rampage would be for another person.

"How. Dare. You-"

"What, tell you the truth? Cuz ya need it!" Epiphany struck with lightning-bolt speed. "Damn! That's what you meant by 'statistics' yesterday! You _bitch!_" Kyōko was on her feet all of a sudden, one hand covering the ring which contained her Soul Gem. "You've done this so many times you think you've got us all figured out! Well I've got news for you, Princess, we're all fucking real people and this isn't some vis-novel where you can just save-scum your way to the ending you want! If you can't take the fucking time to get to know us, then get out and don't come back, ok?"

Homura stood and flicked her hair to let it fall perfectly straight. "Excuse me," she said, with frigid calm and insulting politeness as she exited the little room. Kyōko thumped back down into her seat and finished off the rest of her Pocky with ruthless vengeance, letting nothing into her mind but the crunch of chocolate-colored biscuits as they were consumed in a vain attempt to fill a void within her soul.

_Get to know you? Why? Such a meaningless gesture. Effort that will simply be wasted when time next rewinds._ Homura walked on, head down and fists balled, not caring at all where she was going.

* * *

_Stupid Kyōko, why did you have to go and do that to me? It's not like I actually love you or anything, it's just temporary insanity! Yeah, that's it! . . . I hope she didn't hear that._ Sayaka shrank within herself slightly. With all the excitement of the previous day, they hadn't really tested the bounds of the empathic link in any real fashon, but based on the concerned looks Madoka was shooting her way, Sayaka was willing to bet the link wasn't crystal-clear at the moment. Sayaka gave spared a glance at her ring. _We don't even know if we're linked . . . that way._ The Soul Gem was not a metaphor; a Puella Magi's soul was literally contained within the supremely precious gemstone. This conferred several advantages to the girl in question, and as long as the Gem remained intact, the body could be healed of all but the most catastrophic injuries. However, this arrangement also had some drawbacks; destroying the Soul Gem would snuff out the Puella Magi instantly. Even distance between the Soul Gem and the host body could be a problem. Technically, Sayaka hadn't been present for the discovery of that little quirk, but only because it had been _her_ Soul Gem which Madoka had tossed on to the back of a truck in an impetuous bid to break up a fight between her and Kyōko. The thought, _she could have tossed Kyōko instead . . ._ trailed through Sayaka's mind, but she flinched at the thought of seeing the girl with the wine-colored hair flop down like a string-cut marionette. _Stupid Kyōko!_

Madoka's "Are you okay, Sayaka-chan?" was followed closely after by Hitomi's "Are you communicating with . . . that girl again?" They had been obliged to fill in Hitomi on at least the rough basics of the Puella Magi in order to satisfy the green-haired girl's questions and keep her from blabbing to the entire school. Hitomi seemed to come to terms with the information with ease, but they had given her little than a thumbnail sketch of what was really going on.

"I'm sorry." Hitomi made a short bow before Sayaka. "That was rude of me."

"Oh?" Puzzlement screwed up Sayaka's features.

"Yes. I have wronged you, if only in my thoughts, because when I heard your confession I hoped it was true. I could lie and say I was hoping you had found happiness, but in truth it was because I felt relieved that I would not have competition in my pursuit of Kamijō-kun. Will you forgive me?" Hitomi folded her hands before her, and looked Sayaka in the eye with a surprising teary-eyed gaze.

"I will, but only if you will expect my own apology. You see, when you told me you were going to confess to Kyosuke, I- I started to regret having saved you from the Witch. Can you forgive me?"

"It's okay to doubt yourself, but I want you to know you're still a good person, Miki-san. I forgive you."

"Then I accept your apology. Friends?" Sayaka held out her hand hopefully. Hitomi grasped her hand and shook it, reconfirming their positions in the grand scheme of things.

"Sayaka-chan, will you be okay with everything?" This was Madoka, concerned as always for every detail of her friends' happiness. "About Kyosuke-kun, and Kyōko-san?"

"I- I think so." Sayaka swallowed hard. Letting go of the idea of being with Kyosuke after all the time and effort spent on his behalf was easier than she expected, which was like a blunt knife through her stomach. "I still love him, you know." A wishful sigh brushed past Sayaka's lips as the pieces fell into place.

Meanwhile, just outside the lounge where the girls were talking, other pieces were falling on the floor and shattering. Kyōko had intended to bring Homura's plight to her friends' attention, to assuage the twinge of worry and guilt she wouldn't admit she felt over setting off the black-haired girl. To this end, Kyōko had used the empathic link to home in on Sayaka. She was attempting to sneak up on the blue-haired girl, both to see how the link worked and because it was not her nature to be plainly obvious to the people around her, especially not this many fine upstanding young citizens.

In truth, Kyōko Sakura was damaged in ways which none of the Puella Magi were aware, not even herself. In her abrupt return to society, these wounds had not healed and so what appeared to be a solid whole was just a facade, waiting for a solid hit in just the right spot to crumble.

Sayaka unwittingly delivered just such a hit, for Kyōko had come through the archway into the study area where the other girls were sitting just in time to hear her reconfirm her love for Kyosuke Kamijō in a dreamy voice. It was a perfect one-hit kill of the sort the self-proclaimed "Knight of Justice" was utterly incapable of delivering on the battlefield. Kyōko stumbled out of the study room, barely keeping her feet as she felt the icy clutch of sorrow grasp her heart.

Blissfully unaware of what she'd done, Sayaka continued her explanation of her feelings for Kyosuke. "I still love him, but I waited by his side for so long, he feels more like a brother to me now. And besides that, being a Puella Magi is dangerous. I would hate for him to have to sit by my side in the hospital, or worse." The other girls nodded along.

"So what about, um, Sakura-san then?" Hitomi stumbled over her words for just a moment as she considered what she was suggesting, but she did truly value the happiness of her friends. If the strange red-haired girl made Sayaka happy, then Hitomi would cheer them on, regardless of other considerations.

"I don't know how to put it. Did you ever try a dish you're sure you won't like, but as soon as you taste it the first time, you really like it? That's Kyōko, I suppose. I mean, it's not like she made a good impression when we first met." _Well, technically she made several impressions . . . in the street and on the walls._ Sayaka wasn't intending to broadcast that last, but thinking about Kyōko opened the empathic link just a crack, and the redhead was so close she couldn't help but hear. _Okay, Sayaka, it's time to own up to it._ In steeling herself to explain to her friends how she intended to make good on her unconscious words from earlier and proclaim her love for Kyōko, Sayaka communicated her sense of determination but walled off the link enough that her intent didn't come through. If Sayaka had let more of her feelings or less of her determination show through, things might have gone better. "So it's not exactly a match made in Heaven-"

"So that's how it's gonna be?" The girls all snapped around to see where the voice so full of hurt came from. Kyōko Sakura stood clutching the wall for support with one hand, while bloody red light poured from the ring on the other just as fiercely as the tears ran down her face. "Fine. I hate you too then, you stupid shit!" A flick of the wrist and suddenly Kyōko's free hand was filled with a narrow deadly blade. "Time to correct some mistakes."


	4. Hallowed Be Thy Name

Episode 4 : Hallowed Be Thy Name

I shall walk to the other end of the spiral.

_You will find nothing there!_

_I know!_

I shall be different.

_How can you know?_

Because I wish to succeed.

_ A wish? _

_You should have told me I was arguing with a madwoman up front! _

**Only One Wish Can Come True**

And how can you know what that is?

**Because the game **

**Is rigged **

**So all wishes **

**Are One**

_One! _

_No! _

_That's the worst number!_

_I don't want to be Number One!_

* * *

Homura Akemi stood her ground, her eyes narrowed and a gun in hand. Desert Eagle. .50 caliber, a 325-grain, jacketed hollow-point bullet. 7 rounds in the magazine, one riding hot in the chamber. Eight chances to fulfill a Witch's final wish. Time snapped.

Tendrils of darkness had been reaching for Homura, moving stealthily while she was distracted by the mental sparring with the Witch, but the ace Puella Magi spotted them at the last moment, darker than the absolute darkness upon which they crawled and invoked her ultimate power. The magic buckler upon her left arm held open the space between two instants, and there Homura took action. The thundercrack-crack-crack-crack of the heavy pistol buffeted Homura as she went through a firing drill honed to perfection through thousands of repetitions.

She then chose to let time have access to the world again and the grasping tentacles exploded all but simultaneously as the huge man-killer rounds slammed into them. However, Homura was not there to witness the carnage- she was already sprinting towards the edge of the Barrier, the strange non-space where the Witch lived. The magic of the Soul Gem broke a hole through to reality, but with some difficulty. The Witch did not want to give up this prey for any reason, which surprised Homura not at all. After all, that was why she was running. Homura Akemi recognized the Witch that stalked the dark recesses of Mitikahara Student Academy, and she knew it was going to be very tough to beat, for reasons that had nothing to do with strength of arms.

"Hashihime, huh? Clever." Homura dismissed the Witch for the time being with a contemptuous flick of her hair as she pondered the name which the fallen soul had bestowed upon herself.

_If I had died in that place, I would have deserved such a fate._

* * *

Tears leaked from angry eyes as Kyōko Sakura approached her fellow Puella Magi with murderous intent.

"Kyōko, wait! Stop! That's not what I meant!"

"Funny, it's what I heard." The pair of wicked double-edged rapiers in Kyōko's hands were now close enough to make Sayaka take a step back. A part of her mind which remained detached from the action pointed out, _If she's turned on me, why does she still have the swords and not her old spear back?_

"Shut up!" came the reply. Sayaka winced. Just yesterday Kyōko had saved Sayaka from a fate worse than death, and they still hadn't sorted out all the consequences of the miracle which made that possible.

"Y-you just came at a bad time, that's all! I really wasn't-!" Sayaka couldn't finish because she had to duck a slice which would have given her a haircut right the neckline. Kyōko turned a complete circle, blades akimbo at her hips.

"A bad time? What, were you going to just walk away and never tell me what you really felt like you did to the violin kid, or were you gonna string me along until you got stocked up on Grief Seeds before you dumped me?" Kyōko stood with her arms akimbo, inviting Sayaka to come and literally break the heart that was already breaking.

"Okay, that's enough!" Sayaka bore in and slammed Kyōko back with her shield. After two clumsy steps, eyes wide with shock, Kyōko dug in and readied herself for combat.

"So it's okay to talk bad about me, but not about him. I see." Again the paired blades flashed out, bending at the whim of their owner to curve past shield and armor. Sayaka was much better at fighting than when she first gained her Soul Gem, but her method of fighting was still very much "wade in and give better than you get," and the lightning-fast blades were taking their toll, one scratch at a time. At the same time, even with the tremendous flexibility built into her weapons, Kyōko couldn't get close because of the knightly lance in Sayaka's right hand, not unless she fancied a serious gut wound. "Why don't'cha give me some more!"

BGM: Studio "Syurp Comfiture" - over - High Jump Love

"Okay, I will!" Sayaka replied with another shield slam that left Kyōko's brain feeling like it had entered zero-gravity independent of the rest of her body followed by a strong thrust with her lance. Kyōko got a crossed-blades block in place and drove the point of the weapon into the floor, but was forced to give up space to do so.

_"Surely everything is inevitable/But for now, I'm fine with not knowing_

"For starters, Kyōko-chan is too noisy, and she eats too much, and she thinks it's okay to leave herself wide open just because she does a lot of fancy swordwork!"

_The meaning behind meetings and partings."/But that was just a way to hide our weakness._

A snap-kick blew away Kyōko's footing and sent her nose-first to the floor, but mid-fall she turned that into a somersault which launched both swords straight forward, obliging Sayaka to leap for the sky to avoid getting stuck through both thighs. Kyōko rolled beneath her blue-armored opponent and drew her swords back to her hands on invisible chains. As soon as a toe touched ground Sayaka was spinning about bringing her shield around in a flat-edged cut she'd seen in a movie somewhere once which brushed close enough to Hitomi to trim the green-haired girl's bangs up short if there had been an edge on the magical device. At this point Hitomi and Madoka decided which was the better part of valor and dove for cover.

_If I'm going to be betrayed/If we're just going to hurt each other_

Kyōko too dove for cover, but she launched a sword again, low this time, and used Sayaka's momentum against her. The invisible chain connecting the weapon to Kyōko wrapped up the other Puella Magi's legs and toppled her, but Sayaka rolled onto her shield as she fell and pinned the chain. She kicked free of the chains and dropped her lance.

_Then at least make sure you deceive me completely/Just for tonight._

"And also," Sayaka panted out as the exertion began to get to her, "Did I mention Kyōko-chan is a delinquent who still steals food and sleeps in weird hotels because she won't let her friends help her?" Another snap-kick was parried by a counter-kick, but that left both combatants standing half inside the other's guard. "And what's with that sweatshirt-and-shorts combo? Is she trying to attract belly-button fetishists?"

_As dreams stay only dreams/At a distance where my feelings are receding_

"Like you have any room to talk!" Kyōko aimed a slap at where Sayaka's Soul Gem rode in its' combat form, encircling her navel, but it was knocked away by Sayaka's free hand, who then took a strong grip on the redhead's wrist.

_As we melt our freezing hearts/Is it too late for you, just now, to be by my side?_

"And for another thing, Kyōko-chan always leaps before she looks, which is gonna get her into trouble." At this range, all of Kyōko's senses were overloaded with information about her opponent. She could see Sayaka's eyes huge and shimmering with emotion, feel her heart pound in quick syncopation to Kyōko's own, smell the scent of new sweat overwriting the customary smells of her soap and shampoo, and hear how Sayaka was saying what she was saying.

_Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name._

"Oh, and one last thing,"

_Lead us not into temptation, _

"Kyōko-chan has the most kissable lips,"

_Because_ _I've already found her._

And then, Kyōko made her first intelligent decision of the day and surrendered herself into Sayaka's embrace.

After a short eternity, a polite cough interrupted the two Puella Magi from their making-up session. Both girls broke off and shared a surge of panic as they tried to determine how to hide their battle-gear, the battle-damage in the room, and the "battle damage" on each other. Then they noticed who the newcomer was, and realized it was futile.

"If you are _quite_ finished, we have a task." Homura Akemi turned on her heel with a dramatic flick of her hair. _Do we really have to go now?_ crossed from one mind to another. Homura suddenly turned to put an eye on both the red-haired and the blue-haired, and the _ca-clack_ of a pistol being cocked was her only reply. Sayaka and Kyōko both gulped in distress and hurried to follow their black-haired teammate, and even Hitomi and Madoka fell in behind them, for safety's sake.

_Say Kyōko? Yeah?_

_You're kinda whippin' around like a snapped violin string, everything ok?_

_Again with the violin-boy stuff? I shoulda held out for a couple more swings at ya._

_That's what I'm talking about! You went from 'kill me' to 'kiss me' and now back to 'kick me'._

_Yeah, well I took it kinda hard when I heard you say you still loved him._

_You heard that? Sorry!_

_It's okay. But I've been playing the 'cold heartless killer' so long I started believing it myself._

_And you took that away from me. I'm like a turtle with its' shell ripped off._

_Eew!_

_And when I heard you say that I thought I was gonna loose the only thing worth caring about. Again._

_!_

_So I kinda snapped._

_You really piss me off, you know?_

_Whaaat?_

_You just won't let me stay mad._

_Huh?_

_I was all ready to fall on you and fight it out once and for all._

_I started the fight, I was willing to accept the consequences._

_But I was completely open, not even you coulda missed a killing blow there._

_Gee, thanks._

_Bite me Blueberry, you know you need more practice (especially since we traded toys somehow)._

_And you didn't. You clunked me with your silly shield._

_You weren't gonna go for blood, even though I deserved it._

_So I guess I have to say 'Thank you.'_

_For being better than me._

"Here." Sayaka half-turned away from Kyōko and stuck out a pack of Pocky. Her head was cocked as though it was the hardest thing in the world, but there was a hint of a smile upon her lips. "It's n-not like I love you or anything, I just d-don't want to have to hear any whining about how you don't have anything to eat, you gluttonous delinquent." A dry, sarcastic undertone made Sayaka into the perfect parody of the _tsundere_ in heat. Kyōko stopped and stared, one eye twitching, before finally dropping to the floor shaking with helpless laughter.

"Ahem." Homura directed a glare at the floor where Kyōko was collecting herself. The redhead regained her feet and reached for the fresh Pocky, but Sayaka jerked the pack away and instead shook one piece out and let it dangle from her lips.

"You want it? Come and get it!" Kyōko's fangs came out in a grin encompassing various kinds of hunger and she swooped in to get her treat, but then reality hiccuped. Homura munched on the biscuit stick unconcernedly as she watched the other two Puella Magi negotiate the altered scenario. The girls didn't manage another kiss but unfortunately, in Homura's opinion at least, they didn't end up cracking their skulls together either. Homura dismissed the red and the blue with a contemptuous flick of her hair and continued on.

"This Witch we are facing is uniquely dangerous; her name is Hashihime and she has so far refrained from attacking civilians."

"So that makes her dangerous?"

"Yes. Because she is marshaling all her strength for combat with Puella Magi. And because she showed awareness of my capabilities and attempted to preemptively counteract my powers. Sayaka Miki, Kyōko Sakura, this battle will fall mainly upon your shoulders."

"What, too scared to fight yourself? And why should we follow you then, O Glorious Leader." This was Sayaka, arms crossed and snarling. _Those two are growing entirely too similar for my tastes._ "Why thank you, Homura, I appreciate the compliment!" Kyōko settled for extending the finger which held her Soul Gem in its' dormant ring-form, pointing at the rude digit with her other hand for emphasis.

"Then you are as much an idiot as the red one. The reason I tell you to do the fighting is because both your fighting styles have changed since the last time this Witch saw them. I do not care at all what you think of me, but do you at least respect my abilities enough to understand when I say I would be sorely tested to defeat this Witch alone?" This drew nods from the other Puella Magi, all seriousness now as combat approached.

_Curious. Every time I think I have reached the extent of your species' idiosyncratic nature, you take a new turn. _From the shadows Kyubey sauntered out to follow the girls as though he belonged there. Homura placed the troublesome fluffbag's head square atop the front post of her Desert Eagle's sights but saw steel reaching for the mascot beast from another vector as well. Then Kyōko tipped up her sword in a salute.

"Have at it, Princess, I got to nail him last time." _Stop. There is no need for violence, Homura Akemi. I merely wish to observe. However, is there a reason to not share all that you know of your target with your fellow Puella Magi?_ Kyubey's tail curled into a form resembling a question mark as he posed the question. Immediately pressure began to build upon Homura's right index finger, a perfect 3 1/2 pounds. Now just 1/2 pound of pressure-the merest flinch-was all that kept the little bastard cat-weasel from becoming abstract art.

"I have only shared what is relevant to the goal at hand." _So you have not shared everything then? Does that mean all information must be passed to you first for editorial control? Is that the way you humans do things? _"Do not try my patience." replied Homura, focusing on the mascot beast with deadly cold eyes.

Hitomi was rapidly becoming accustomed to the sudden bouts of violence from her Puella Magi friends, but this seemed to be too much. She had been told about the nature of Kyubey, but surely this cute little creature couldn't be that dangerous? _I can do no harm to you, Hitomi Shizuki. I can only grant you a wish in exchange for accepting the contract to become a Puella Magi. It is your responsibility to own the consequences of the wish- _"Silence. Hitomi Shizuki has been advised of your perfidious ways (I wish she would stop using those big words and speak plainly, Kyōko muttered as she watched the showdown), and she will not fall prey to your schemes. Also," Here Homura turned just enough to glance at what was fast becoming in her mind the 'peanut gallery' of the operation. "Should I say 'lying cheating piece of shit' instead? It means the same thing. If you have no culture whatsoever, that is." Homura added with a flick of her hair to show what she thought of Kyōko's manner of speech.

_Now you would use violence to restrict the freedoms of your companions? Are they willing to accept this?_

"I will do what is necessary, you well know that. Hitomi Shizuki, avert your eyes." Hitomi quailed and turned to hug Madoka, afraid to know just what lengths the black-haired Puella Magi was willing to go to in her definition of "necessary", but Kyubey was already phasing out through the wall, unwilling to continue the confrontation.

_Just remember you cannot be everywhere all the time, Homura Akemi._ Homura snorted, returned her gun to its' hiding spot and gave her hair another angry flick, and then she was the calm, cool, and contemptuous princess once more.

"What did Kyubey mean? What didn't you tell us?" Homura turned to face Sayaka as she took the bait and placed them all square in Kyubey's trap. Internally, she sighed. _She is becoming more intractable by the day. By the hour even._ This drew a snarl from Kyōko, and belatedly Homura remembered that because of the intervention by the other Puella Magi yesterday, she too was connected with the others on a level beyond physical. _I shall need to correct that flaw in the near future._

"I have told you everything that is required to combat this Witch."

"Which isn't the same as everything, even I know that." Kyōko posted her hands on her fists.

"And how does irrelevant knowledge help you?"

"Because I don't trust you Princess, or your idea of 'relevant', got it?"

"And I can assure you, if you fail to complete the task before us because of what you learn, I shall hunt you down and end you." Homura's eyes were hard and flat as she said this, much like a shark's.

"_Us_, you mean." Sayaka put her right hand upon Kyōko's shoulder and held up her left to display the Soul Gem ring around her middle finger.

"That does not change the equation in the slightest." Sayaka's eyes flared with anger at the slight, but she said nothing further.

"Very well." Homura caught and held the eyes of the other two Puella Magi, watching intently for any sign of weakness as she spoke. "The Witch that we now face was born from the soul of the fallen Puella Magi, Mami Tomoe."


	5. You Are Precious To Me

Chapter 5 : You Are Precious To Me

"She's _what? How?_" Kyōko Sakura stared in unthinking shock at the news that the Witch they were going after was in fact the fallen form of Mami Tomoe, the Puella Magi who had been the first casualty of the battle for the sanctity of Mitikahara. Mami had also been Kyōko's mentor in the ways of the Puella Magi . . . and for the longest time, the closest thing to a friend the explosive redhead could claim.

"I do not claim to know. The fact remains however that she is here and she is dangerous. Now are you ready for battle?" Although phrased like a question, Homura Akemi clearly intended to speak a command.

"B-but I saw her die! How did she become a Witch when that other Witch . . ." Sayaka turned pale and she took an involuntary step back as she relived the horrible death of Mami Tomoe. _It was just one mistake, and then she was gone. _Nausea and fear rolled through the empathic link, and Kyōko and Homura both heard an echo of the bite and gulp which had ended the beautiful blonde Puella Magi.

"I don't know. Why don't you ask her while we're in there?" Homura snapped, actually snapped at Sayaka, emotion entering her voice for the first time in a considerable length of time.

"But if she became a Witch, her Soul Gem must have survived somehow, right?"

"I do not know. I don't exactly have a PhD in Puella Magi powers."

"But know that we know it's possible, i-if one of us f-falls," Sayaka's voice whipsawed between fear and determination, but she never backed down. "Y-you'll search for our Soul Gems, so that doesn't happen to us, won't you?" Homura turned away, in order to better construct her reply.

"I trust that Homura-chan will do what's right." This was Madoka, polite and sincere. Homura gave what might have been a nod in response. Deep within herself, where not even the empathic link had made a connection yet, Homura Akemi was still able to be truthful with herself. _Madoka Kaname, you give me far more credit than I deserve._

With the conflict amongst the girls solved for the time being, the Puella Magi had to face a new problem: They had lost their Witch. Mitikahara Student Academy was a beautiful campus with K-12 classrooms and an exceptional physical plant, providing facilities for almost any kind of sport or club imaginable. Unfortunately for the girls, that meant the place was _huge_, and since Hashihime was being coy, the girls were on more of a snipe hunt than a Witch hunt. So far, the most excitement of the afternoon had been dodging hall monitors, and physical plant staff once they began searching the more obscure quarters of the Academy.

"Hey, not to be rude, but could you maybe have just rang Pinkie on your cell and had us meet you where Hashi-mami-whatever was?" Kyōko was worrying at a stick of Pocky, just rolling it back and forth with her tongue as they walked. A jaunt to the cafeteria would have blown the girls' cover, so she was under orders to make her current stash last. Homura kept on walking, as though she hadn't heard the redhead's question at all, Soul Gem held in her open palm to help her trace down the recalcitrant Witch.

"Um, Homura-chan, would you like my cell number?" Now Homura flinched, shoulders scrunching as though she had been struck. In a leaden voice, the princess of the Puella Magi rattled off a string of digits. "Wha! That's my number! How do you know it?"

"Are you gonna tell her, or am I going to be forced to do so?"

". . . why must you keep trying to hurt me?"

"Do you think I am being sadistic?" This earned Sayaka a smoldering glare and single sharp nod. "Then do you consider a doctor to be sadistic for examining you to determine the cause of an injury?" For just an instant a flash of _violation, _of the sensation of being torn open, only with heavy drugs blotting out the pain so only the cutting and sewing of flesh could be sensed jolted into the red and the blue girl through the empathic link. Then the feeling was gone again, but the girls knew enough not to bring up doctors around Homura again, lest they awaken the sleeping dragon. Still, Sayaka pressed on. "You know this is a weakness for you, Homura. Just last night you were almost destroyed just by words. How long do you think you can keep going like this? How do you think you can protect her if you get yourself killed?"

"You're one to talk," Homura snarled out. She was looking more feral by the minute, and Hitomi was already hiding behind the dubious protection of Sayaka.

"Yeah, I got lucky. Kyōko held out a hand and pulled me out of the abyss. Who do you have who will do that for you again? Who would even want to when you keep putting yourself back into harm's way?"

"Okay, get the fuck out! Go find the Witch!" Homura pointed an emphatic finger vaguely down the hallway.

"And do what, exactly, when we find it?"

"Call her fucking cell or something! You want to be the smart one, you think of something, _bitch_!" _Wow, let's get the hell out of here before she actually pulls a weapon or something! _came across the link, and Sayaka wholeheartedly agreed. The red- and the blue-haired hurried off in roughly the direction Homura had pointed, more to open distance between themselves and their deranged teammate than out of any desire to find their quarry.

* * *

"Say Sayaka, where's the deepest, darkest, uselessest closet in this building?" After sprinting to the end of the hall where Homura was having her meltdown, Kyōko and Sayaka manifested their Soul Gems and began scanning for Hashihime.

"Why, do you think she might have gone for such a place in order to keep anyone else from getting hurt?"

"No, I just wanted someplace quiet to go and make out until Princess gets her shit in order." Kyōko had a shark-toothed smile on her face as she replied.

"You . . . you horrible delinquent!" Sayaka slugged Kyōko in the shoulder and pushed her away.

"Hey - owie! When did you start packing such a punch Blueberry?" The redhead worked her arm in circles to make sure everything was still in its' correct place. "But yeah, it wouldn't surprise me if she was holed up somewhere out of the way. Goldilocks always was too nice for her own good."

"You sound like you know her," Sayaka mused as she reoriented herself in the direction of the Witch.

"Yeah, just a bit. She taught me a few tricks when I was younger."

"So you were the rookie at one point too, huh?"

"Hell no, I was never as bad as you were when we first met Blueberry!" Again, the fang-filled grin made an appearance.

"Bite me!"

"You know your costume makes that wayyy too enticing." Sayaka blushed and shuddered as Kyōko leered at her exposed shoulders and neck. _Ohh, I could kinda get used to being looked at like that!_ "Although, you know what . . ." Kyōko suddenly placed a hand upon Sayaka's breast, giving a light squeeze.

"_WHAT THE FUCK!_ Hands off, pervert!" In an instant Sayaka had her cloak firmly and completely wrapped around herself and was backing away from her companion, a luminescent blush of both embarrassment and anger lighting up her face.

"Whoa! Sorry, sorry, I was just curious what it felt like-" Any further explanation was forestalled by the slight complication of almost having Sayaka's lance go up Kyōko's nostril. The red-haired Puella Magi jumped back, hands up in surrender. "All I meant is why are none of our costumes made out of anything heavier than a raincoat?"

"Huh?" The lance was redirected to a safer vector, and then Sayaka paused. Her 'breastplate' was little more than shaped patent leather, stiff enough to give support but not tough enough to turn aside anything more damaging than a paper fan. "Huh . . . that is odd." Some experimental pokes confirmed that the deep scarlet coat Kyōko wore wasn't any tougher. "I wonder if there's any way to change what we get?"

"Well if it takes as much trouble as our weapon swap, forget it! I'm not going through that again."

"Hey! I kinda liked hearing 'I love you' from you, damn delinquent!" Now it was Kyōko's turn to light up with a blush.

"Well I kinda meant everything which led up to that point. And I'm not trying to say I regret it or anything, but when we balanced out, I don't think we got back as much as I put in."

"There we go, the gluttonous thief surfaces once more! Ha!"

"No, stupid, I'm only worried because if both of us lose a bit in a deal like that, it means it might not work again! And I wouldn't mind dying in your arms, just not anytime soon, ok?"

* * *

"I must tell you a story." The words seemed to be dragged from Homura, and she seemed to be aging years in just the space it took to speak them. "When I first came to Mitikahara, I met two brave, wonderful girls who were willing to be kind to a pathetic creature such as myself. I was saved from an attack by a Witch by these two, who revealed to me the secrets of the Puella Magi. Their names were Mami Tomoe . . . and Madoka Kaname."

"!" was the only response from the small pink-haired girl, but she put a hand on Homura's shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile and waited for her to continue.

"I watched those wonderful girls die to the Walpurgisnacht, the day the most powerful Witch of all arrived. I couldn't understand why they had to die when they were so great, and I was still alive when I was so worthless. On that awful day I made my contract with Kyubey. My wish was to go back to the beginning of it all so I could protect you. I have relived the last month more than one thousand times." As she said this, Homura saw Madoka appear to melt into a shapeless mass before her, but then she realized this was only her tears blurring the world.

It started small at first, just little hiccups, which then become shaking ragged gulps of air, and then Homura was prostrate before the object of her quest, bawling out burning painful tears.

"It's been . . . so long. I stopped caring. Oh God, save me, I was already looking ahead to the next time!" Another sob wracked Homura's body. "Here you all are, doing your best, and I'm just waiting for you all to _die_ so I can do it over! What am I even doing this for?" A note of panic poisoned Homura's voice.

"Sayaka was right! Damn her! You all went to such trouble on my behalf last night, and I'm just letting it go to waste! You should all just stay away from me before I get you hurt!" Homura's eyes were still looking at Madoka's lovely face, but she was no longer seeing the girl to whom she had devoted so much of her light. Violet light flashed and then the Puella Magi was on her feet.

"I don't want to hurt anyone else anymore. I can't let my selfish actions hurt you again." There was Homura's Soul Gem in the palm of her hand, still shining and beautiful despite all its' owner had suffered. Suddenly Homura spun on her heel and hurled the gemstone down the hall. With startling speed the black-haired girl pulled her Desert Eagle from its' dimensional pocket and took aim. A thundercrack echoed down the hallway.

* * *

"What the hell? That was a gunshot!" Sayaka bit back a comment about Kyōko's Sherlockian intuition, or lack thereof. She wouldn't have been surprised if Homura had changed her mind and taken on the Witch - or a Familiar - on her own, but they shouldn't have heard the shot outside of the Barrier. Whatever the reason, it wasn't part of the normal scheme of things, and it wasn't good. However, in their haste to get back to the rest of the group, neither girl noticed that there were _three_ shadows following their two running forms down the hallway.

Pain shot all throughout Homura's body, overwhelming her senses. It took a second for her distraught mind to comprehend what was happening, and by then her nerves had figured out that the pain was only really coming from her knees, elbows, and nose, although all of those areas had quite a few complaints they wished to register with Central Nervous. And then she was eclipsed by a great weight.

Still dazed, Homura looked up to determine what was going on. _Blue and white stripes?_ Then she put it all together and the shock of embarrassment jolted Homura's system back into function. _She saved me . . . again._

Madoka was completely unaware of her accidental exposure as she sprinted down the hallway at full tilt. After tackling Homura to keep the other girl from going through with her fatal mistake, she wanted - needed! - to get hold of Homura's Soul Gem in order to keep her friend safe. She hit the ground sliding, heedless of what friction was doing to her socks, not to mention her knees, and scooped up the gem and breathed a prayer of thanks as she saw it was still whole and shining.

"H-homura-chan, are you okay?" Tears flooded Madoka's big red eyes as she turned back to the black-haired girl. "P-please don't ever do that again! You say the girl you wanted to protect was great and worth more than your own life. I wouldn't know, because I've never met that Madoka Kaname you talk about."

"I'm slow, and I'm weak. I'm not brave like Sayaka-san, or tough like Kyōko-san, and I can't protect anyone like Mami-san could. All I can do is get up every day and do my best for my friends. Homura-chan I won't let you say you're worthless, b-because you are precious to me, and I would miss you forever if you were gone!"

"But what about my wish? Why haven't I saved you yet if I wasn't worthless? Why do I have to keep endlessly reaching for a goal I can never grasp?"

"Then don't!" Madoka clutched the Soul Gem to her heart as tears poured down her face and splashed on her hands. "Stay here, by my side, and j-just do your best! M-maybe we won't beat the Walpurgis, and maybe we'll all die, but at least we can all be together. I don't know what will happen, but I can't imagine anything more awful than having to keep going on alone, with no one to care for you." Then Madoka looked up at Homura, and her eyes were overflowing with pain. It felt as though Madoka was going to cry enough tears to put every past incarnation to rest.

BGM: Alstroemeria Records - Haunted Dancehall - Ancient

"Th-thank you." It was only two words, but for Homura, it was all she needed.

_When I opened my eyes, everything around me was ancient/The only thing standing was this relic of a temple_

"You're welcome, Homura-chan."

_I wonder if I made a wish here, would it be granted?/For this longing, for these unheard feelings to be…_

Just then, Kyōko and Sayaka arrived, panting from their sprint. "We heard a shot, what happened?"

"Not much, just cleaning house a bit." Homura gave her hair a flick, just to make sure everything was in its' proper place. The bloody scrapes on Madoka's knees and the lavender light which leaked out from between her fingers told a bit different story, but that was ground which didn't need to be covered. For the first time in this cycle, Homura Akemi felt the lightness of hope enter her heart.

And then Hashihime threw up her barrier and engulfed them all.

_Even if it's only a little bit, time never stops turning/Even if it seems like nothing has changed_

Homura finished writing her name upon the board in front of the homeroom. All these people who she had grown to despise through so many repetitions stared up at her with wonder in their eyes. _They_ were experiencing this meeting for the first time, unlike Homura.

_Everything around us moves on and/My heart keeps a beat_

Ribbons burst, letting Homura drop to the ground. The suddenness with which the spell ended could only mean one thing, but the only emotion which Homura felt upon the death of Mami Tomoe was annoyance. And envy - _her _struggle at least came to an end, unlike Homura's eternal quest.

_Even if I could never grasp even a fragment of a dream/I keep searching for the morning, and will forever_

Even Madoka was worthy of nothing but contempt. She lived a perfect little life with perfect little friends, never realizing the sacrifice being made upon her behalf. And even during those times when she bothered befriending the soft-hearted girl, _she_ at least got to die still safe within the fantasy that it had mattered, that her death had some meaning beyond another 30 days' penance.

_So again I've cut into my own heart/Even though I'm sure there's nothing I can do_

It was no wonder Homura had never fallen to Witchhood - where was there room in her heart for despair amongst all this bitter hatred. _I _wish_ I could become a Witch, so I could take away all their happiness and let them live as I have lived._

_And this ancient temple asks me/"Do those who cling to others really have emotions or feelings of their own?"_

Even this cycle's Madoka had only said what she said because the little weakling couldn't handle the thought of seeing someone die. So Homura would have to suffer to alleviate her own pain. _Wait . . ._

_You're saying that because my only wish is for these feelings…/You're saying that this just means I'm still clinging to others…?_

But what was the point of going to another cycle? That was just giving into the false hope that next time things would be different, that Kyōko wouldn't be so irritatingly persistent, that Sayaka might not be so persistently irritating, that the next Madoka might actually pull her weight _instead of just crying because she cares for me._

"_All I see here is a shell where a person might have been."_

"And all I see is a deception. Game over, Hashihime." Brilliant light flashed from the Soul Gem were it rode upon the back of Homura's left hand, and the illusory world broke down, to be replaced with the ordinary weirdness of a Witch's Barrier. Homura stopped and studied the shifting nonspace in an attempt to understand how her former comrade planned to attack the Puella Magi.

The Barrier was deceptively normal, taking on the appearance of a mansion installed into an apartment. Opening doors revealed moving-picture images of treasure: Here was a moving-woodcut view of a loving, cheerful family welcoming her home, while the next door held a picture made from millions of moveable metal rods forming 3-D pixels showing the image of a vast store of treasure, gold, Y10.000 notes in thick bundles, and gems with the centerpiece of the collection being a thick gold torc fit for a Queen set with a luminescent pink gemstone the size of an egg mounted front and center in a rose motif. Another door was designed as the front of a fancy arcade cabinet with every kind of firearm Homura had ever seen and several she hadn't in true-to-life detail on hand and the objective of the game as seen through the screen . . . was exterminating as many Kyubeys as possible. This brought a ghost of a smile to Homura's lips, which died immediately upon seeing what lay behind the next door: A grainy monitor image showing Madoka laying upon a heart-shaped bed, dressed in a seriously disturbed variation of her Puella Magi costume, suitable only for the late-night shift at Kageyama. Homura snorted when she saw that image and slammed the door shut. _Petty temptations, suitable only to ensare fools. Which means I must move quickly or the others are doomed._


	6. Nothing Less Than What I Deserve

Episode 6 : Nothing Less Than What I Deserve

"Forgive me Father, for I have sinned."

_"Go rot, heretic. We don't serve your kind here."_ _This from a Priest who wallowed in the trappings of his station, with a face like a stone beaten almost featureless by the elements._

"!" _The shock knocked Kyōko reeling, but only for a moment._ "Some Shepard of the Flock you are!" _she groused._

_"Tell me why I should care. You're already damned to Hell, so why should I waste my precious time on a lost cause?"_

"Jeez, no wonder Dad ditched you pricks!" _Kyōko huffed._

_"Fine, you want to know what your sin is? Pride."_

"Pride? That's it?"_ Kyōko snickered at the phantasmal priest._ "No Greed? No Gluttony? Not even a little Wrath? How about Lust?"_ Kyōko smirked, revealing her fangs, and then grabbed a handful of Communion wafers from altar upon which she sat and chomped down._ "Hey, got any salsa?"

_"See, there you go again. Pride. What makes you think you're even significant for your other sins to matter? What makes you think a girl as good as Sayaka Miki should have to suffer someone as low and vulgar as you?_ _The words caused Kyōko's stomach to drop into a vat of boiling cold acid, and the wafers turned to poisonous ashes in her mouth._

* * *

_The playground was half-full of happy children playing and doting parents watching, yet no one was making any effort to intervene in the situation unfolding before them. Several of the known bullies had singled out a single girl, small for her age, and too pretty and kind for her own good._

"Hey, get away from her." _Sayaka wasn't about to let anything happen to her friends, not while she could do something about. A large stick filled her small hand, giving something to even the score just a bit. The weapon was insufficient, however, and first it, and then Sayaka herself was knocked to the dirt. But the bruises and scrapes were not nearly as painful as what came next, as Sayaka tried to stand amidst taunts and the occasional kick._

_"It's okay, Sayaka-chan. You shouldn't try to stand up."_

"But they'll just keep hurting you, Madoka!"

_"But it's not like there's anything you can do to change that. You're too weak and too easy to beat, Sayaka-chan. It'll be okay. I'll go find new friends, like Homura-san, who can actually protect me."_ _Sayaka couldn't even cry as she curled up and hoped, begged for the next strike to end her._

* * *

_Homura swayed into the expansive kitchen of the apartment-mansion. Right now, there were two things she desired more than anything, and both could bring oblivion. The kitchen was modeled after the kind of room shown in architectural magazines - big, beautiful, and impractical. There was a prep station with more counter space than the entire cooking space in Homura's apartment, and it yielded a chef's knife of exceptional sharpness, made from the kind of steel that would do a samurai proud. _

_Hollow shadows followed Homura as she sought out the objects of her desire. If she looked directly at them, they would fade away, but when her back was turned, the minions radiated a sense of cheer and warmth. When seen from the corner of the eye, they appeared to be smartly dressed in fashionable clothes, cut so as to disguise the military-grade body armor they wore in deference to their most dangerous houseguest. Homura tested the knife upon a dishtowel, nodding approvingly at how the steel sliced through white cloth. An embroidered red apple parted before the blade, looking like a splash of blood for a moment. With casual carelessness, Homura discarded the shredded rags on the stove, where one end touched the pilot light and began to smolder._

_Next, Homura raided the liquor cabinet. She nodded approvingly at the selections before drawing out a rare bottle of very fine brandy. Homura unscrewed the cap and savored the bouquet of the spirit for a moment. A bit of bitterness tinged her mind as she contemplated the drink. _I wonder if they would let me count the time I've been stuck in this loop towards my age for the drinking limit. No, no that would make too much sense. _Homura took a small sip of the brandy, just to spite those high-minded adults who were of no help to her. But only a small sip. It wouldn't do to waste the booze, now that she had everything that she needed._

The knife licked out lightning-fast and took the head from one of the sinister guests. Sugar icing gushed from the wound in a disturbing display, but Homura wasn't paying attention as the knife slipped from her fingers. This was intentional, and the blade _thunked_ home in the chest of another minion, who went down with its' wound crying in a little girl's voice. Hashihime's Barrier was exceptionally powerful, but the same energy which made the illusions so hard to dispel also meant the hyper-realistic effects lingered for some time even after they were no longer useful to the Witch. In practical terms, that meant the shreds of towel were still actually on fire as Homura stuffed one into the mouth of the bottle which still contained actual 120-proof brandy.

"Drink's on the house!" Homura exclaimed with dark amusement as she hurled her Molotov against the fourth wall. The bottle burst into racing blue flames and Hashihime screamed with real pain. The walls closing Homura off from the rest of the nonspace softened and sagged to where she could kick through them with ease, although she didn't manage a clean getaway - there was melted cheese stuck to the side of her boot. Homura scowled at the mess. _I must ensure no more tears are shed for me. It is becoming inconvenient in the extreme._

* * *

Kyōko was still coughing and choking upon her purloined snack when a strong hand grasped her shoulder. The redhead brought her head up right into a hard slap as she looked to see who the newcomer was. Homura tightened up her grip and hoisted the other Puella Magi to her feet.

"Uh, thanks, I guess, but could you have found a gentler way to do that?" Kyōko scrubbed at the reddening handprint upon her cheek.

"Most likely, but I enjoyed that much more."

"Oh, fuck you too, Princess!"

Homura arched an eyebrow in response. "I wasn't aware Sayaka Miki was into swinging."

"Hey, what-" The shot was a bit too close to the mark after how the Barrier had toyed with Kyōko's feelings, but there was something else in there too. "Hey, wait, since when do you give back lip when you get it?"

"Things change. Try and keep up."

"Uu, that's so unfair!"

Sayaka was easy to find, and the bullies ran screaming at the sight of the Puella Magi. Kyōko pulled the blue-haired girl to her feet and watched with some amazement as she reverted from the nightmare memory to her current self. And then a gasp alerted Kyōko to a new problem entirely.

Madoka was there, her eyes big and bright with tears. She drifted toward Homura, hands clutched over her heart. "H-homura-chan . . ." This broken vision of innocent beauty could still touch the tiny ember of humanity that flickered within the cold dead heart of the eternal warrior, and Homura reached out to give the pink-haired a sisterly embrace.

Wicked steel swooped past Homura, forcing her to check herself backward and speared into the soft flesh of her right wrist. Kyōko twisted the blade, destroying the joint, and causing the trigger the shade had been holding to drop free. The mate to the first sword swept out, severing the wires connecting the trigger to the suicide vest the shade was wearing, then the weapon flicked back and took the minion in the throat, causing it to evaporate.

"H-how did you know . . ?" Homura looked at her hands in disbelief, shaken by the brush with death, and the feelings welling within her from having even a fake Madoka taken from her.

"I didn't." Kyōko let her swords return to their customary length, but kept them at the ready, a sensible precaution considering the flinty look coming from Homura. "But it seemed too convenient, and Sayaka has heals."

"You would dare?"

"What, hurt your precious Madoka? In order to make sure she wasn't a trap? Yeah, I would!" Kyōko brought her blades up to an _en garde_ to forestall any moves by Homura. "You were gonna kill Sayaka just because she might have been a hindrance in your schemes, Princess, so I'd say we're even."

". . . you are right. I mocked the strength of the illusions in this place, thought myself above their temptations, and then I walked right into that one." Homura swallowed hard, and then she said the words that Kyōko counted second-least likely for the black-haired Puella Magi to speak. "Thank you." She then flicked her long lacquer-black hair into place and the haughty mask was back in place.

"Don't get to like hearing that too much, Kyōko Sakura. You'll have to work hard to earn your praise."

"Oh well. I guess I'll survive." Kyōko opened herself to the empathic link with a touch of trepidation. _That guy was too right. I have no right to drag Sayaka down just because I want to hold on to her. _

_Hey! What are you talking about, dummy?_ Kyōko winced. That was certainly not what she had wanted to send. _You give my heart what it needs, you stupid fool, and that means more than family standing or anything like that, got it?_

_But I don't have anything to offer you but love. And what will happen when you finish school, and your parents tell you "play time is over"?_

_You know, I was once given a bit of advice on the ways of love. _The sensation of amusement which filled the link was positively wicked, and Kyōko learned what it felt like for others when she turned her best fang-toothed grin upon them. _What was it you said? Oh yeah, "cut off their arms and legs so they can't get away from you." I'll let you keep most of your legs though, if only because those short shorts you wear aren't nearly as cute without those lovely long legs sticking out of them._

Homura was about to interrupt, feeling queasy at the shameless flirting drifting past the edges of her consciousness, but she was beaten to the punch by a scream of pain and anguish.

* * *

_Yes! Sing for me, little bird in your cage! You should stay here forever and ever. Do you know why? Because you are useless, a worthless weight dragging everyone down. I would still be alive if it weren't for you, and if you try to escape, you'll just put your precious Sayaka and Homura in neighboring graves._

_You can do _nothing_, because you are_ nothing_, and you will always be_ NOTHING! _Yes, that's it, give in. Drown in despair. I will steep your worthless soul in infinite midnight, and what a lovely tea it will be-_

Pain shot through every corner of Madoka Kaname's body. And yet at the same time, it was nowhere. She recognized this pain, for it was not her own. Something had attacked the heart of Hashihime, and the Witch passed the pain on to Madoka out of spite.

"Let. Her. Go. _NOW!_"

BGM: Studio "Syrup Comfiture" - Blossom - "Lost Thing"

_LIE_-

Homura Akemi stood before the Witch. She may as well have been a statue of alabaster and amethyst, for all the pity she showed for the lost soul.

_-I must go_

_CRY-_

Sayaka Miki stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Homura. For her friends, her shield held strong as an unbreakable refuge. But for those who would do them harm, the needle tip of her lance promised only death.

_-Searching for_

_PRAY-_

Kyōko Sakura stood with her swords at the ready. Though her Soul Gem was no longer as bright as the day she first came to Mitikahara, it rested far lighter upon her skin, and her weapons felt good in her hands only because of who she fought for.

_-Tomorrow_

_FLY-_

A broadhead arrow streaked forth to sever one of the elegant arms which held Madoka in their torturous grasp, and even if she could still rewind time, Homura knew things would never be the same.

A million broken voices shrieked in anger and musket balls tore through the space where the girls had been standing, but none of them were still there to be struck. Homura and Kyōko broke in opposite directions, looking to distract the Witch with divided targets while Sayaka drove straight down the center. She leaped to grab for Madoka as the other Puella Magi rained attacks upon Hashihime, trying to cover for the Knight of Justice as she strove make good her name and rescue the damsel in distress.

A thousand mouths opened up before Sayaka and each shrieked out a thousand spears of hatred. She managed to interpose her shield in time, but the glancing hits left her cloak and boots torn in many places and sorrow ran sick through her blood.

"Damn!" Homura shouted as she kept peppering the Witch with arrows. Hashihime had a body made entirely of grief and regret, rendering it indistinct and hard to grasp, and it pained the heart to look upon directly. Anger and hate were her weapons, and they were lethal. To make matters even worse, Homura no longer had her usual weapons. When she had ignited her Soul Gem earlier, a bow of black steel inscribed with a glowing purple rose-thorn motif all along the staves. Homura knew exactly where the weapon came from, and that made it a gift more precious than life itself, but it was damned inconvenient to be learning a new way of fighting mid-battle. _Chin up. Kyōko and Sayaka managed to learn their weapons under fire, and that was to save you! You will do as well._

The lack of her time-stopping buckler was worse. Homura didn't want to contemplate the larger implications of the absence of that device, but the simple truth was she had begun to rely overmuch on the ability to stop time. It was a crutch, and if Homura hadn't been aware ahead of time that it was no longer available, she would be as vulnerable . . . _as Mami Tomoe was when Charlotte got her._ Homura shook her head. _That fate shall not be mine._ Homura crowned Hashihime with arrows, and then a ghost of a smile crossed her face- and the missiles exploded, causing the Witch to quake in agony.

_I guess you earn another 'thank you', Kyōko Sakura._ It had been two lifetimes ago, or in Akemi-time, recent enough for her still hold a grudge against the participants for their failings, when the impetuous red-haired Puella Magi had forced her to go to a movie together as a precondition for helping out. Homura supposed the show could have been entertaining, if she hadn't been boiling with rage over the wasted time, but now that she herself had a bow in hand, she had been reminded of one of the heroes in the film, an archer whose quiver was specially-made to serve up just the right shot at just the right time. Homura's arrows were pure magic, drawn from her Soul Gem which rode on the back of her pulling hand as they were needed, but the idea still served well.

The Witch was reeling from the attacks, and Homura took the opportunity to draw up something special. She put all her frustration, her anger and her need into a neurotoxin which coated the tip of the next arrow. For extra spite, Homura aimed right for Hashihime's eye. The shot was perfect, the Witch totally unaware as Homura floated above the battle, and so Homura was very surprised when something slammed into her and caused the shot to go sailing off into nonspace. Homura looked around to see what had happened and saw Sayaka in the follow-through of a throw, and a harmonic hum told the black-haired girl what had hit her.

Homura's pupils contracted to pinpricks as she looked upon the other Puella Magi and an arrow came unbidden to her hand.

"_STOP!_" Sayaka shouted with more than just her voice, enough to force Homura to pause. "_LOOK!_" Homura followed the blue-haired girl's lance to its' inevitable target, already knowing what she would find, and not desiring confirmation at all. Madoka had blood running down her face from several wounds on her scalp, almost as though . . .

_As though someone had blasted her crown. _Homura considered Hashihime through narrowed eyes. _It may be for the best that I cannot began the cycle anew, for if I could I might just kill you on sight when next we met for doing this to me, Mami Tomoe._

The situation was bleak. Madoka would have to be removed from the Witch's grasp before they could finish her off. If Homura still had her dominion over time, she could have easily broken Madoka free from the cruel grasp, but Homura had traded that away to regain a measure of her humanity, without which she would not have lasted long enough for it to be an option anyway.

Beautiful brave Sayaka would have charged in and hewed away with her sword, but she had not the skill to have succeeded. _It's no shame to admit your limits, even if it does hurt. That's why we have to have friends._

There was only one choice remaining, and Kyōko was all too well aware. _I am going to hate myself for this, that's for sure._ "Looks like I get the short straw. Ah, well." Kyōko closed her eyes as she began to energize herself, but she could not close her heart to the pain radiating from not one, but two sources behind her. _If I go to Hell for this, it is nothing less than what I deserve._

BGM : 1:19_  
_

Kyōko pirouetted suddenly and grabbed up Sayaka and pulled her into a fierce kiss. The blue-haired girl nearly lost her footing as the enormity of what was happening hit her. Then Kyōko released her and turned away just as fast, before she could see the tears spilling from Sayaka's eyes.

"Just make sure you catch her when she falls, got it?" Kyōko growled out.

_LIE_-

"And I wanna go out for teppanyaki when we get done here, okay?"

_-I must go_

_CRY-_

Sayaka didn't even dare to reply as Kyōko launched herself at fate.

_-Searching for_

_PRAY-_

Kyōko Sakura brought her Soul Gem up to her lips and gave it a kiss before bringing up her sword in a salute.

_-Tomorrow_

_FLY-_

The attack was sublime, each sword-stroke landing just where it needed to be well before Hashihime could respond. Madoka opened her eyes when the sensation of freefall took hold of her, in time to see Kyōko give her a reassuring nod.

To her credit, Sayaka did her job and brought Madoka to safety, declining to see or hear as the spears of grief shot out once more.

_-It's calling_

There was surprisingly little blood leaking from Kyōko, considering the gratuitous damage which had been inflicted upon her body. Still the little redhead managed to open her eyes and look up at her enemy.

"I remember . . . Mami-sempai . . . you asked me to use . . . those words." and Kyōko stared straight at the Witch Hashihime until it understood.


	7. A Shout From Nowhere

Episode 7 : A Shout From Nowhere

_Even in the arms of Death, she still smiles . . . _Homura Akemi heard Kyōko's pronouncement to the Witch and then turned away. _God damn you, Kyōko Sakura, I don't want to watch the light fade from your eyes again._

"_ROSSO FANTASMA!_" came a shout from nowhere and everywhere and there were suddenly twelve pairs of swords ripping into the body of the Witch. Pieces of armor and flesh rained down like hail from Hell. Despite the fury of the blood-colored Puella Magi's ultimate attack, however, it was clear this reversal of fate would be short-lived. Hashihime began throwing shots in every direction and the illusory duplicates began to wink out.

"Hey Homerun! Do something useful!" The real Kyōko was already forced to go on the defensive, and the fearsome breaches she tore in the one-time Puella Magi's armor were fast closing.

Homura Akemi was shaking with an emotion she refused to name thanks to the red-haired girl's trick, and she grabbed on to that feeling and put it to use. A thousand years and more of pain and frustration found a new purpose in her left hand. Homura let her eye take in the heart of the Witch Hashihime and then she bent her bow to an arrow laying between those two points. And then a curious, crazy lightness entered her heart and there was only one thing she could do.

"_OMEGA SHOT!_" Homura shouted out as the arrow released. There was only an instant where the missile was in flight, but in the space of that time Homura witnessed acceptance . . . and thankfulness upon the alien features of the Witch before the shot landed and obliterated it in a terrific flash of light. As Hashihime passed, the Barrier began to unravel, quickly wearing away to just threads of insanity which then disintegrated, leaving the girls standing once more in a hallway in the bowels of Mitikahara Student Academy.

Kyōko returned to where the other Puella Magi stood along with their distressed damsel, clutching a Grief Seed to her heart and relishing for just a moment the scent of tea which came from it. Sayaka greeted Kyōko with a hefty slap before wrapping her arms around the redhead and pouring hot tears into her shoulder.

"You stupid fool, how could you! That was too cruel!"

"I'm sorry." Kyōko placed a comforting hand upon the back of Sayaka's head. "I'll understand if you hate me for what I did. I'll understand if you don't want me to be around you anymore to cause you pain."

"You dummy! Don't say that! If you were worth so little to me that I could just toss you away like that it _wouldn't hurt_ in the first place!" Sayaka looked up at Kyōko with big liquid eyes which left the redhead shaky.

"Oh well in that case, how 'bout that teppanyaki?" With that, Sayaka's eyes went wide in surprise and not a little anger.

"Ohhh, you're horrible!" The blue-haired girl went to rage further, but she was silenced by the press of tender warm lips against her own. _Yes, yes I am horrible_ drifted into the empathic link, but Sayaka was too enfolded in bliss to care.

After a long time, the girls broke apart and Kyōko found herself face-to-face with Homura Akemi. The black-haired Puella Magi still had an air of chill inscrutability, but there was clearly something simmering beneath it, an emotion that while still incomprehensible, was too strong or her barriers too weak to disguise any longer. Kyōko found herself admiring the change.

"That was quite an impressive display of tactical thinking and deception, Kyōko Sakura. . . " there was a pregnant pause in Homura's words that shot a tingle of worry into Kyōko- if nothing else the cold, haughty girl had been a known quantity, but now it seemed the black-haired Puella Magi was becoming as predictable as Kybey was trustworthy. With nothing else to go on, Kyōko cocked an eyebrow and waited for Homura to finish what she had to say.

A hard slap cracked off Kyōko's other cheek, leaving her with matching patches of burning skin on both sides of her face. "Don't scare me like that!" Homura cried out, as tears began to well in her eyes.

"What, am I gonna have to kiss you too now? Jeez . . ." Kyōko rolled her eyes, expecting the comment would cause Homura to get all huffy and thus cause things to go back to normal.

"I don't know." Homura wiped the tears from her eyes before continuing with some semblance of her old haughty chill. "I suppose that is up to Sayaka."

"Huh?" the blue-haired girl was now thoroughly confused at the turn of events, and it showed on her face.

"Do you share?"

"Do what now?" Sayaka was now giving both of her fellow Puella Magi dubious scowls for their antics.

"Excuse me," Homura replied. Then she turned on Kyōko, dark eyes smoldering in a way which sent shivers all up and down the red-haired Puella Magi's spine before planting a very nice kiss upon her lips which lasted long enough for heat to spike crimson clear to her hairline.

"_Wha-a-a-a-t!_" was Sayaka's first coherent response after what she had witnessed. Kyōko, meanwhile, was too surprised to get out so much as a peep. "(you did say I needed to get to know you all better,)" whispered Homura as she broke away. That left the normally-cocky Puella Magi in complete meltdown until Sayaka grabbed her by the arm, entwining her own arm with the redhead's with jealous possessiveness.

"Madoka, are you alright?" Homura next turned to the slight pink-haired girl, who still sat where Sayaka had set her after she was freed from the grip of Hashihime with a furious blush on her face. She nodded to Homura, but her eyes remained downcast.

"Yes, thank you Homura-chan." replied Madoka, after regaining her feet.

"Now, teppanyaki?" There were no immediate refusals, which Kyōko took as being as good as unanimous acceptance and started immediately for the exit, leaving the other girls to follow along as best they could, with looks ranging from bemused to disgruntled.

* * *

There had been one other soul present at the battle, however, and she had not received nearly as happy ending as the Puella Magi had. _Your friends will abandon you. They possess something which you do not. It makes you pitiable. How long will it be, before pity festers and becomes contempt?_

_You are weak._

_Your courage will fail._

_You are already dead._

Hitomi Shizuki swallowed hard as the voice she heard within the Barrier continued to echo in her head. She wanted to deny what she heard and the chord it struck upon her heart. She tried to tell herself that it was just one of the insidious attacks to be expected within a Witch's Barrier. _But that's just it . . . I only know that because _they_ told me. They have knowledge that I will never possess, and I'll only know what they feel I deserve to know. I cannot accept that!_ Tears leaked from Hitomi's eyes, and she shook her head as though that could cast out the disloyal thoughts.

_Tell me, Hitomi Shizuki._ A new voice entered her head, as the owner of the voice padded up to sit in front of the sorrowful green-haired girl. _What price would you place upon your heart's desire?_

* * *

_Oh, what a lovely dream is this!_ Homura Akemi sat back in the booth and sighed with something approaching happiness. The four friends sat around a table in a restaurant called Sakura ("Hey, I should get a discount!" was Kyōko's opinion on the coincidental name) in a state of near-comatose bliss after having gorged on teppanyaki, sushi, and all sorts of delicious treats. In fact, some of them were still doing so- Sayaka was playing the "say ahh!" game with Kyōko, who was taking the morsels from Sayaka's chopsticks with some truly lascivious tongue action. The old Homura would have been quite irritated at the display, but as that girl seemed to be MIA, today she was simply happy for the lucky couple. Madoka, however, was running a glowing red blush, such that Homura expected steam to come whistling out her ears at any second. The pink-haired girl's embarrassment, while cute, set off a chain reaction in Homura's mind, reminding her of things which needed to occur.

"(I need to talk to you after this.)" Homura whispered to Madoka, while the other girls were distracted. Madoka nodded, but the gesture caused a spark of worry to land in Homura's heart. _She is getting unusually serious. I hope nothing goes awry at this stage._ As usual, the empathic link connected her thoughts to those of her fellow Puella Magi, but before either could comment, a new distraction arrived: the bill.

"Uwahhh! Are you serious!" Sayaka stared open-mouthed at the bill, totally not comprehending the figure written at the bottom. "You damn gluttonous delinquent! How in hell are we gonna pay this?"

"Oh, choke on it, Blueberry, I didn't do all the damage. Let's see here, 'Whitefin Sashimi Platter, Y5.000', where did that go? Oh yeah!" Kyōko poked Sayaka's taut tummy for emphasis. "Anyway, don't worry about it, I got it covered." A nonchalant flick of the wrist caused a credit card, one of the expensive anodized-metal business types, to _clunk _onto the tray overtop the bill.

"What the hell?" Sayaka cried out in shock for the second time in as many minutes as she saw the device. She snatched up the card and looked it over for signs of forgery or anything else which meant the girls would be departing the restaurant for a cell in the city lockup, but it looked genuine as far as she could tell. The card even said "Kyōko Sakura" as the bearer's name. "How did you manage to get this?"

"You _really_ don't want to know, Blueberry. Trust me."

"Tell me, or I'll . . ." Sayaka growled back.

"Ok, fine. Come back to the hotel, and I'll give you the whole story."

"Like hell! You're just trying to seduce me, you awful delinquent!"

"I don't think she would have to try very hard, Sayaka-chan." Coming from Madoka, the comment threw the blue-haired girl completely off her game. "You two should go and enjoy yourselves. You've earned it." The blush burned Madoka's whole face scarlet down to her neck, but she remained firm and unwavering. That determination alone caused Sayaka to reflexively nod assent, so unexpected was the change.

After the bill was paid (which took some time, as the manager of the restaurant had shared Sayaka's dubiousness at the authenticity of the card and had to phone it in), the girls said their goodbyes and broke apart, pair and pair to go wherever their hearts would lead.

* * *

BGM: Alstroemeria Records - Trois Noir - "Last Remote"

The talk had not gone well. Homura snorted. Despite the cracks which had formed in her icy outer shell, inside her own head the girl with the lacquer-black hair was still too clinical and precise. So, to be more accurate (more Kyōko, a hysterical little voice in between her ears said instead); her talk with Madoka had been a disaster.

_"I have to ask you something, Madoka Kaname." Homura had taken Madoka's hand in her own, holding back tears through strength of will. "I must ask you to promise never to make a contract, never to become a Puella Magi."_

_Tonight, alone within the earth, I close off my heart again_

_"You see, I have lost my power over time. If you were to fall in this cycle, I could not correct it."_

_I no longer reach for that too-far dream_

There was still a clear handprint upon Homura's face from where Madoka had slapped her. _Of course the first thing I thought of was "I hope she didn't hurt her hand." What a fool I was. I have well and truly earned this._

_"If you really think so little of me, then go away! That's awful, how could you even say such a thing!"_

_Forever alone, without revealing myself_

_"Do I really mean that little to you? You're worried about me, but only because you can no get a replacement if I don't turn out how you want? Homura Akemi, you disgust me! Go away! If you choose to be a real person again, tell Sayaka-chan and Kyōko-chan. If they both stick up for you, maybe I will talk to you again, someday."_

_I accept no one, but simply wander_

And then, an all too familiar sensation piqued Homura's senses. A Witch, or maybe just a Familiar. It didn't really matter. What it meant was there was a convenient target upon which she could vent her wrath.

BGM : 0:49

Homura burst through the enemy's Barrier with murder in her heart. Serrated arrows sang out in every direction, tearing through the mindless minions who rose up to oppose her with satisfying wet splatters. Anything which attempted to close on the furious Puella Magi was smashed to ruin by the blackened steel bow or simply kicked to nonexistence.

In very little time at all Homura stood before the Witch-yes, it had been an actual Witch, so Homura was going to get some dessert to go with her after-dinner entertainment. This one was all wings and curved pearlescent plates. Homura hadn't even bothered learning its' name. Narrowed eyes examined the structure of the monster and a steady hand drew out several arrows at one, all imbued with explosive tips. _Thwap!thwap!thwap!thwap!thwap! _the shots flew one after the other, embedding themselves withing the plates closest to the core. Homura held up her left hand so that her Soul Gem faced the Witch, who was only now reacting to the assault, far too late for it to matter. The black-haired Puella Magi clenched her fist, triggering the explosives embedded in the arrowheads.

The carnage was total- the Witch simply came apart with peals of shattering glass, shards flying in all directions, even towards Homura. In fact, most of the shards were headed in Homura's direction, only now they seemed to have taken on the form of crows winging towards her, enough to make a murder. _This must be how Mami felt,_ mused Homura, surprisingly calm as her ultimate fate approached.

Killing scythes tore through the air, slaying great masses of the lethal birds. A figure interposed herself before Homura, holding out a broad double-bladed axe in an angry grip. The newcomer twirled in place, slinging the heavy weapon in a complex orbit about herself as if it weighed nothing. The blades were so keen they cut the air itself, and pieces of crow fluttered to the ground amidst gushers of blood.

"Stay here. You'll only get in my way." came the far too calm voice of Hitomi Shizuki.

* * *

About the time Homura was getting her face percussively colorized by Madoka, Sayaka and Kyōko were slipping into the latter's personal suite, located in the nicest hotel in town. Kyōko flopped down on one of the immaculate queen-sized beds with a sigh.

"Home sweet home, or something." remarked Kyōko as she worked on a stick of Pocky. By now, nothing the little redhead did should have amazed Sayaka, but the fact she still insisted on getting _two_ large boxes of Pocky, not to mention just how many of the biscuit sticks had disappeared during the ten-minute walk from the convenience store had the blue-haired girl bewildered.

"So you were going to tell me how you got all this, or is now when you reveal that this was just a trick to get me alone so you can ravish me?" Sayaka sat down upon the other bed, idly kicking her legs.

"Well I _could_," replied Kyōko with a lustful leer. "But I didn't think you were ready to move that fast Blueberry."

"Ugh, you're insatiable, and besides I really need to get home at some point. I mean yeah my parents work late hours, but I don't want to get grounded for life plus forever."

"Yeah, yeah." Kyōko let out a gusting sigh as she got ready to bear her soul to the girl whom she now couldn't live without for the . . . 3rd time in less than a week? It boggled the redhead's mind. "12-06-22. That's the lock code." Sayaka nodded. "And it's the day Dad did, well, what he did."

"The guy who runs this place was a follower of Dad's. I mean like a real follower, not one of the ones I snared. He happened to be away on business when it happened, but when I came back to Mitikahara, he noticed and was willing to give me a room for a little bit. But then turns out some guys staying here noticed and well let's say they thought I was on the staff. Konohara-san heard about it and arranged a sting with the constables. He didn't exactly let me know what was going on, and it almost went really bad before the Boys in Black showed up." Kyōko put on a sharp-toothed grin to reassure Sayaka, even though she could feel how brittle the smile really was. "Not that I was worried for myself, you know, but I imagine it woulda been a bit awkward to explain why they were in pieces. So anyway, he gave me this suite for as long as I want and the card as a way of apologizing." Sayaka was unsure what to say to that. She could feel that this girl who had become so dear to her heart was much more upset by the situation than she was willing to put into words, but unless Kyōko was willing to say more, Sayaka had no leverage with which to pry futher and free the girl from her angst. Even worse, she could tell that Kyōko couldn't bring herself to just break away from the situation. It was obvious that this was by far the best accomodations which the redhead had managed in a long time.

"So you're willing to treat us all to dinner, but yet you still steal Pocky from convenience stores? What the hell! Seriously?" Sayaka shook her head as though if she shook hard enough the story would make sense.

"Yeah, I do. Because I know sooner or later he's gonna get tired of having me around and I'll be all on my own again. And because," Here Kyōko dropped to a low throaty snarl, causing Sayaka to flinch with the amount of anger in her voice. "I don't want anyone to get the idea I can be bought, for any amount of money."

"I'm sorry, Kyōko. Will you be okay, or do you want me to stay with you for a while longer?" Kyōko was unable to reply, but Sayaka felt her answer anyway.

_I want you!_

_But I also want you to be happy._

_This is your fault  
You made me too weak to survive on my own._

_And I wouldn't want it any other way._

_There's only one right choice  
But I shouldn't have to make that choice!_

_But I shouldn't make you suffer for my pleasure._

Sayaka stood up just then, short-circuiting Kyōko's internal debate. The redhead looked up with confusion at the sudden stern set upon Sayaka's face as she loomed over Kyōko. "Here, let me help you decide," said Sayaka just before their lips met.

_SAYAKA! KY__Ō__KO! TROUBLE!_ Homura's panic crackled across the link with enough intensity to set both of the Puella Magi's hearts to racing even faster than they already were. Both girls snapped bolt upright and were outfitted with costumes and weapons before they even consciously realized they had called for them. Any other time it might have been comical, but right now it simply _was._ Kyōko threw open the window and Sayaka shot through like a rocket, with Kyōko half a heartbeat behind.

_Hang on, Princess, we're on the way!_ Kyōko sent as they bounded from rooftop to rooftop, homing in upon the black-haired Puella Magi as best as they could. However, she was unable to resist adding to the message: Kyōko pushed what had just filled her vision across the link at full strength so that Homura couldn't help but be aware of what she just interrupted. _Also, next time, you're buying the fucking teppanyaki!_

* * *

Clear across town, Madoka Kaname was taking relish in the simple pleasures of life: the quiet, ordinary sounds of evening, soft, fresh-out-of-the-wash pajamas, and no calamities threatening her life or the lives of her friends. She had just snuggled into bed when she noticed that her collection of stuffed animals had one extra member, one that looked directly back at her.

_Ah! I have been waiting for you Kaname-san,_ came Kyubey's voice within Madoka's head. _I came here to inform you that now all four of your friends have accepted contracts and become Puella Magi._


	8. Crash Course

Episode 8 : Crash Course

There didn't seem to be anything overtly wrong when Kyōko and Sayaka arrived on-scene. Homura was standing in the middle of a tree-lined courtyard, looking somewhat rattled, along with . . . Hitomi Shizuki?

"Hey guys, what's up?" Sayaka asked, letting her Puella Magi costume dissipate as there didn't seem to be any danger lurking about.

"I found a Witch and the situation went awry." muttered Homura.

"And I saved her!" exclaimed Hitomi. In response to paired looks of disbelief, the regal girl held out an egg-shaped gemstone which glowed with a rich emerald light. What happened next was only a surprise to one of the people in the courtyard. The sharp _crack_ of a full-strength slap rebounded back off the neighboring apartments, and Hitomi stood frozen in surprise at the fury in Sayaka's eyes.

"_HOW DARE YOU!_ Why would you do such a thing?"

"I didn't want you to keep excluding me from your life and leaving me behind, and how else could I earn your respect without this?" Hitomi clenched her fist around her Soul Gem for emphasis.

"Respect? Ha!" Kyōko barked out a bitter laugh. "That's rich, kid. If you think you need to become one of the lost and the damned just to stay friends, you're dumber than I already thought." As she spoke, Kyōko clenched a stick of Pocky between sharp teeth like a gangster's cigarette in an old film. "Free tip. Swallow that fucking thing and forget it even exists, because you're in a for a world of hurt otherwise."

"I'm not afraid to fight!" Hitomi had both her fists clenched now, and looked every bit the determined warrior.

"Well there's your first fuckin' mistake! But honestly, I wasn't saying that for your sake. " Suddenly, Kyōko darted forward until she was speaking directly into Hitomi's ear. "If you make Madoka or Sayaka cry, I _will_ end you, got it?"

"I am _not _weak!" growled Hitomi for a reply. "You can't bully me!" Kyōko's eyes narrowed. In a flash one of her swords was out and swinging for the green-haired girl's neck. All Kyōko intended was to startle the novice Puella Magi so she could go back to talking sense into her, but then Hitomi manifested her axe and with a single spin she blew Kyōko's sword away. There was a momentary hitch in Kyōko's step, as she had never seen anything so massive move so _fast_, but this was a challenge, plain and simple. "Oh, now it is _ON!_" shouted the redhead.

BGM: Shibayan Records - Materialize Muso - "I Don't Need Any Oznei Haman Anymore"

Kyōko opened with a flash of one hand, letting loose her sword. Hitomi leaned away, not realizing that her opponent had tied an invisible chain around her axe. A sharp tug and suddenly Hitomi was stumbling face-first into a fist weighted with a sword hilt. The green-haired girl shook her head to clear it and then jerked back sharply on her heavy weapon and it was now Kyōko's turn to be pulled into an attack, a knee to the belly. Even with her wind gushing from her, Kyōko was enough of a fighter to swing her sword down into a hamstringing strike, but Hitomi moved with preternatural speed and got away with no more than a flesh wound. Hitomi discarded her red-haired opponent then came around in a pirouette that had actual fear shivering up Kyōko's spine as she leaped over the attack with the barest of margins, springboarding off the haft of the axe to launch both swords. Faster than should have been possible Hitomi flicked both weapons away, but Kyōko was able to bring them back to her hands as she somersaulted in beneath the green-haired girl's reach. A double stab reached for Hitomi's belly but it was for naught as the haft of the axe came spinning back and cracked the redhead in the side. Kyōko got in a couple of decent cuts as she tumbled away, but it was insufficient to slow her opponent.

_Damnit, why's it gotta be this way?_ Kyōko was back on her feet in an instant. Despite what she had said a minute ago, Kyōko was not going to go for the kill unless she was forced to, and that was the problem. Without the willingness to go that extra step, Kyōko was handicapping herself in a way doubly-punishing with her current weapons. Meanwhile Hitomi either didn't understand or didn't care what was going on. Another clash of blades left Kyōko dancing out of the way and then she tried the chains again.

This time Hitomi knocked one sword down mid-spin and then came back around and dropped her axe upon the invisible line connecting the weapon to Kyōko with a two-handed executioner's chop. The chain severed and immediately the sword vanished in a puff of magic, and the redhead shook her hand like it had been stung. There was no time for Kyōko to overcome her surprise Hitomi's axe was swinging for her head again and this time a lick of wind magic proceeded the weapon. Kyōko was knocked off-guard, she managed to throw up her barrier of magic chains before the axe itself bit into her flesh, but the shield only slowed the attack. Kyōko was pitched into the air in a red haze of pain as Hitomi put her shoulders into the followthrough.

Suddenly Hitomi's whole world exploded in pain. It was like the entire planet had rushed up and smashed her in the face with a ringing _GONG!_ Then a bar of red-hot agony took her in the middle, lifting her clear off the ground. Hitomi found herself dumped on her ass like a sack of rice and then a needle-sharp point touched the soft flesh of her throat. When her eyes could finally focus again, she saw the figure of Sayaka Miki standing over her with a look of seething anger on her face.

"Say 'thank you'."

"W-wha . . ?" Hitomi could not even begin to comprehend what was going on.

"Do you know Mami Tomoe? Class 3-A, blonde hair, so tall?" The sudden switch confused the green-haired girl even further.

"I-I think s-so? I haven't seen her around in a while-"

"That's because she's _DEAD_, you stupid shit!" Tears were leaking freely from Sayaka's eyes, and she moved her lance away from Hitomi's neck only because her hands were as shaky as her voice, and it wouldn't do to have an accidental tragedy end what Hitomi's intentional one had begun. "She was one of us. Last time she went out to fight, she got distracted for one second, one lousy _fucking_ second, and she died for it! I had time to transform, walk right up to you and hit you twice! If this was a real battle, we'd be standing around your corpse right now. You want to know why I never confessed to Kamijō when you gave me that oh-so-generous warning? Because I didn't want him to have to cry over me when I died from this curse! Apparently, you're either too stupid or too selfish to act the same way." Sayaka half-turned, disregarding her foe entirely in order to make plain her contempt. _From the Homura Akemi school of personal interaction, I see._ Sayaka had to clench her jaw to keep down the giggles, as they would completely ruin the moment.

"Don't get back up, or I'll put you back down. We'll talk about this more at school tomorrow, got it?" Without waiting for an answer, Sayaka went and scooped up Kyōko, who hadn't yet gotten back to her feet. _Shhh, just roll with it for once._

_You're not going to _carry_ me all the way somewhere are you?_ Sayaka grinned down at her burden.

_Only until I get tired of it. Or we get to the edge of the courtyard, whichever comes first._

_So wait, does this mean now I'm the Princess?_ This earned a cough and what might have been a snicker from Homura. Once they were at the decorative fence separating the courtyard from the street, Sayaka set Kyōko down and they took a good look at her. There were twigs and dirt in her hair, a decent-quality shiner under one eye and a trickle of crusting blood at the corner of her mouth.

"Uh, Kyōko? If anyone asks, you might want to say you got hit by a truck. Right now it looks pretty accurate."

"Yeah, feels pretty accurate too. Where in the hell did she learn to hit like that? I mean, I'd expect to hurt like this after a fight with Homerun, but she pads out her damage with lots of explodey things. First time I've seen another Puella Magi lay down that kind of beatdown without using an ultimate attack, which that certainly wasn't."

"I have a theory, but it will require some verification." Homura was looking pensive. "Figures, the one time Kyubey would actually be handy to have around, he's nowhere to be seen." With a flick of her hair, Homura dismissed the bothersome beast. "I will see you tomorrow. There are tasks I must complete yet tonight." And with that the black-haired girl was gone, off on yet another mysterious errand.

"Sheesh. See if I get out of my nice warm bed to help you any time soon, Princess! Would it'a killed you to say 'thank you' before ditching us?"

"Hah!" Sayaka replied, without mirth. "It would take another ten thousand years for that girl to become a gracious person. I call it a win that she even bothered to excuse herself before disappearing."

"Yeah, I suppose." Just then, the bright pool of a spot light fell upon the girls, blinding them as it approached. "What in hell?!"

The light turned out to be attached to a car, and the car turned out to be from the Mitikahara Constabulary, as was the polite but stern young man who stepped out from behind the powerful light.

"Sayaka Miki-san? Thank goodness, your parents have been desperately worried about you, and-" Then the nice young officer came to a halt as he noticed Kyōko. "Miki-san, step away from that person! She is a delinquent and a wanted criminal!" When Sayaka shook her head, a pained expression crossed the officer's face. "You need not fear, Miki-san. We can protect you! Once that person is in custody she won't have any hold over you!" _Aww, shit. I shoulda known my wicked ways were gonna catch up to me sooner or later. I'm sorry, Sayaka._

A powerful blast of refusal rolled down the empathic link just before Sayaka spoke. _Oh hell, here she goes again! _Worry contorted Kyōko's face. _Sayaka, don't! I'm not worth this kind of trouble!_

"You lay a finger on her and I'll break it off, and then you'll be in Daddy's office first thing tomorrow morning explaining to him why a middle-schooler kicked your ass, got it?" Both the policeman and Kyōko were shocked by the angry words, and then horror suffused Kyōko's thoughts as she made a connection. _Tell me that's not the "Shining White Knight" Daichi Miki you're talking about . . ._

_God Almighty, I know I've been a bad girl but why did You let me fall for the daughter of the Captain of the Mitikaha Prefectural Police Force?_

* * *

Hitomi Shizuki stalked through the deepening evening, clutching a glowing green gem to her chest, its' beautiful emerald light lessened by specks of dirt floating through its' core. _It must be a physical reflection of what that bitch did to me. I should have realized when she started hanging out with that delinquent my pure, precious Miki-san was dead and gone. No matter. I will sweep this city clean! I will kill and kill and kill until no more Witches or Familiars remain, and then they will be __forced to acknowledge me as their peer- no, their superior!_

A sharp _ting!_ caught the green-haired girl's attention. There, stuck in the ground before her was a little black-iron ball, standing upright on the long needle at its' base.

"That is the treasure you won. You should take it." Homura Akemi appeared from the twilight shadows, dressed as a Puella Magi.

"I-I'm not afraid of you! I beat that red-haired delinquent fair and square, and y-you're weak compared to her!" When Hitomi turned around to face Homura, she had the massive axe in her hands, and Homura scowled to see the Soul Gem at her throat.

"The only thing you should be afraid of is your dirty soul."

"W-w-what?!"

"Did you not notice the corruption running through your Soul Gem, or are you simply ignorant of the doom which you have brought upon yourself?" A nervous squeak was all the answer Homura needed. "Pick up the Grief Seed."

"Y-you're not my boss! I don't need to do as you say-" Hitomi's rant was cut off by a broadhead arrow _thunking_ into the meat of her shoulder. Homura was aloft in an instant, landing atop a lamppost before inflicting a symmetrical wound on the Puella Magi's other shoulder.

"Walpurgis is coming, and we have neither time nor desire to contest with unnecessary Witches." Homura put away her bow and flicked a hand through her hair, but then she saw Hitomi break off the arrows and watched as the wounds sealed with a speed that bettered even Sayaka's unnatural toughness. Hitomi then scooped up the precious seed in shaking hands, so Homura did not draw forth her bow again.

"Now, hold it up to your Soul Gem." Hitomi did as she was told, and gasped as she felt a tingle run through her soul and witnessed the corruption as it was drawn into the Grief Seed. "Why did you not do that before now?" asked Homura, even as she knew what the answer was going to be.

"I didn't know it could d-do that! What is going on?"

"So you made a contract with the Incubator without so much as thinking that there may be conditions involved. I really should kill you right now," Homura said with cold cruelty in her voice, dismissing the novice Puella Magi with a hair-flick. "But I am not feeling that merciful. Now, you are going to tell me what you wished for, and in return I will teach you enough that you might survive long enough to be of some use."

"T-there you go again! Y-you c-can't bully me!"

"_STOP!_" Homura shouted out with whipcrack authority. She held up her left hand, palm inward, so Hitomi could see the lavender glimmer of her Soul Gem. "I am not making threats. I am telling you facts, Hitomi Shizuki. And here is another fact: If you do not answer my questions, I will detonate the explosives I planted earlier, and Kyosuke Kamijō will cease to exist."

"!" was all that Hitomi could say in response.

* * *

The office was spartan and spare, but elegant, and the sheer size spoke to the esteem which the MPPF held for the chief occupant of the room. Captain Daichi Miki was decently tall and handsome, with hair the color of twilight, and he wore a simple sharply-tailored black Constable's uniform as though it were a samurai's armor, his spine an unbending steel rod as he stood motionless, examining the other two occupants of the room with a piercing glare.

Kyōko Sakura was well aware of what was happening; the Captain was waiting for either her or Sayaka to crack and confess, or at least show some emotion which he could then use for leverage in the interrogation. Knowing that fact, however, was not the same as having the fortitude to resist.

In fact, Kyōko was resisting well enough to impress the Captain, but that was only because worry was chewing at her guts with such ferocity that all of her energies were directed inward, to keep her stomach from jumping right out her throat. Not that Kyōko would be particularly upset to projectile-redecorate the office, but it would be a crime to waste food like that.

And what was really worrying Kyōko was the girl standing next to her. Sayaka was _incandescent_ with anger. If they had been costumed as Puella Magi, and this had been a battle, Kyōko would have wanted to throw up a barrier just to keep from being burned by the fury rolling off her companion.

"Sayaka Miki. I am most disappointed in you. In this night alone, we have one count of resisting arrest, one attempted assault, and when the miscreant upon whose behalf you committed these crimes _is_ convicted of her own offenses, you will have an unknown quantity of aiding and abetting charges added to the list." The Captain shook his head sadly at the situation.

"Funny, I recall a wise man once saying, 'punishment is good only for the ego, rehabilitation is good for the soul'." Sayaka spat out each word.

"Yes, I am aware of my own maxim, thank you." Daichi replied dryly. "And I believe I am somewhat more qualified to decide where best to apply it."

"Then what's stoping you? Is it National Hypocrisy Week, or is it just the thought of your precious daughter being seen with a commoner? I assure the scent will wash off _(When I'm done enjoying it, that is_ slipped into the link, buoying Kyōko's spirit)." The Captain's nostrils flared at the insults, but Sayaka continued on undaunted. "Do you even know who she is?"

"Is it relevant to the situation, or merely a curiosity for the booking records?"

"Oh, I think so. _Her_ name is Kyōko Sakura. Yes, _those_ Sakuras. If anyone was a good candidate for your rehabilitation scheme, I would think someone with such a tragic past and understandable cause for delinquency would be higher on the list than all the Yakuza trash you send to your overgrown Boy Scout camps."

"Indeed." Daichi cast a dubious look upon Kyōko, taking in her generally 'well-worn' condition. "You, Sakura. What exactly were you doing with my daughter this evening?" A big fang-bearing grin took over Kyōko's face and a surge of such mirthful deviousness hit the link that Sayaka almost shivered. She could just hear her friend saying something like_, oh not much, just swapped about a liter of spit then we went and beat the shit of a goody-goody girl for kicks._ In fact the idea seemed to resonate with the naughty red-haired girl. _Brace yourself Blueberry, and follow my lead, okay?_ Sayaka couldn't help but swallow nervously.

"She was helping me study to take the merit exams so I could start school at Mitikahara Student Academy next term." _What?! How the hell are you gonna pull that off?_

_I guess you'll just have to give me a crash course then._

"Ah, a comedienne, I see. And I suppose you expect me to accept my daughter's word on this matter, when you've obviously compromised her as well?"

"Homura Akemi. Madoka Kaname. They were there too, ask them." _Homerun, I'm gonna need some ass-coverin', like yesterday!_

"If you have corrupted a such a gentle soul as Kaname-chan, I will pull every string I can to make sure you spend every day possible in the deepest, darkest hole in all Japan, understand?" Daichi appeared livid, literally ghost-white with anger.

"And if I'm not in Sayaka-chan's homeroom come start of C term, I'm gonna sue the shit outta you and your whole mob of Keystone Kops . . . _understand?_" Kyōko smiled right back with a grin of needle teeth.

"Outside. Now. I need to speak to my daughter, in private." Kyōko nodded and headed for the door with insolent slowness. Once she was outside and the door to the expansive office safely closed, however, the redhead flopped into a chair, hand on her chest and gulping for air.

Inside, the hardass-cop persona disappeared like a puff of smoke, and Daichi turned a far more dangerous weapon upon his one and only daughter: disappointment.

"I thought I had raised you better, Sayaka Miki."

"Better than what? Honesty and loyalty to my friends?"

"Better than to let a delinquent hoodwink you like that! What witchery did she use to get you on her side?" As soon as she heard 'witchery' Sayaka couldn't help herself and burst out laughing. "Is something about what I said funny?" _Oh, if only you knew, _thought Sayaka, replaying the line for Kyōko's benefit.

"Only that she snared me with the most powerful magic of all." Sayaka looked her father directly in the eye, letting him read the full depth of her sincerity. "She is precious to me, and I will hate you forever if you punish her solely to spite me." Daichi made to respond, but Sayaka held up a warning finger and cut her father off. "I don't intend to condone or make exceptions for her past behavior, but what she needs is a hand to lift her up for once, instead of slapping her down again."

"I see." Daichi inhaled, held the breath to a five count, and then slowly exhaled. And then he smiled. "I guess my little Knight of Justice has found her next crusade. Just make sure you take good care of her, and she takes good care of you." Sayaka let out a breath she wasn't aware she had been holding, and a big smile crept onto her face. "Besides, if she's as much of a delinquent as she sounds, going to school is going to be a bigger punishment than anything I could do to her."

"Thank you, father," said Sayaka, eyes shining with tears, as she went to embrace the man.

* * *

Hitomi Shizuki was on her knees. Her whole view of the world was irreparably damaged. In just minutes, Homura Akemi had utterly destroyed her, not with her arrows (although they were gods-damned painful!), but with simple words, coolly delivered. She now understood the full import of the sisterhood she had forced herself into, and just what kind of terrors now awaited her. _It seemed like such a simple, easy thing. I wished for power enough to earn my place amongst them._ A bitter laugh escaped Hitomi's lips. _If I had it to do over, the only thing I'd wish for is not to be a Puella Magi. I wonder what that would actually do?_

Nearby, Homura Akemi stood vigil over her damaged comrade. It surprised her that she thought of the situation so, but it felt right. _In a past cycle, I would have come to dispense punishment for disrupting the flow of events from the course which I had set. But even fools deserve friends._ As she pondered the situation, her mind was drawn to another group of "fools", and Homura felt a blush color her face at the sensations which reached her, even across the distance which separated them. _I wish you well Kyōko Sakura, Sayaka Miki. May you find serenity and joy together. May it warm your hearts enough to spite the chill of death when the Walpurgisnacht arrives._

And another matter crossed her mind as she watched the green-haired girl below pick herself up and start her long walk back to normalcy. _May all the gods of Heaven and Hell damn you Kyubey, wherever you are. I will see you punished for this unrighteous act. I swear it._


	9. All That I Could Wish For

Episode 9 : All That I Could Wish For

Madoka Kaname woke up in manner which was becoming far too common these days as the alarm clock shocked her out of an unpleasant dream. The cute little pink-haired girl sat up and scrubbed at her head for a moment until everything fell back into some semblance of order. There were extremely un-cute thoughts running through her head, directed towards the creature who even now sat innocently amongst her collection of stuffed animals.

_There is no need for this hatred, Madoka Kaname. I have done nothing to personally harm you._

"How could you be so cruel, to do that to Hitomi-chan?"

_She asked to make a contract. I merely fulfilled her wishes._

"But she wasn't in the right mind to be making a contract in the first place! You took advantage of her!"

_This is why my species did away with emotions. They are too great a hindrance._

"That's too awful!"

_I don't understand._

"If you can't feel anything, then what makes you want to do what you do every day?"

_Because it must be done, or the universe will succumb to the inevitable effects of entropy._

"Then I don't understand you either, Kyubey . . ." Madoka rolled out of bed, muttering about the distressing little cat-ferret creature.

* * *

Kyōko Sakura woke up in a manner which was entirely novel for her; happily and easily. No agony from muscles and joints which had been poorly treated by whatever her latest temporary arrangement had been, no jolt of panic as she looked around to determine what manner of danger had startled her awake. In fact, it was so good, Kyōko thought for a moment that she must still be in a dream, which prompted her to feel around a bit, to see if she could find the trigger point which would shatter this carefully-constructed distraction, so she could begin tearing her way to wakefulness.

Whatever she had been planning on finding, it was certainly not a warm and totally unconscious Sayaka Miki, although the pretty blunette didn't stay that way for long with a hand blindly groping her face.

"!" came the mutual exclamation from both girls who then retreated to opposite corners of the bed.

"What the hell're you doin' here Blueberry?" asked Kyōko when she found her voice once again.

"This is my bed, dummy!" replied Sayaka, punctuating her reply by hurling a pillow into the face of the sleep-addled redhead, who just sat there with the soft bag wrapped around her face for a moment.

"Uh, okay then, what am I doing here?" asked Kyōko as she flung the pillow back at its' owner. Sayaka deftly parried with one hand and slapped the pillow back into its' place.

"Oh, you know, a little of this, a little of that." Sayaka waggled her eyebrows, and Kyōko turned the same shade of crimson as her hair.

"Oh shit! Do your p-parents know I slept, uh, here?"

"Well yeah, that would be why I introduced you to them both last night, and why they invited you to stay the night." Kyōko's blush intensified as she recalled the meeting. After thoroughly telling off Captain Daichi Miki of the Mitikahara Prefectural Police Force, she had been given a ride in a squad car- but as a guest, to Sayaka's house. There, Sayaka's father had sped ahead of them, slipping inside the door just long enough to let it click shut before the girls got there. Sayaka had pulled the door open, and upon 'meeting' her father at the door said, _"Father, may I present to you my friend, Kyōko Sakura."_ at that, Kyōko had done something which for her was considerably more unusual than telling off a policeman; she had bowed to the man, properly and sincerely. _"It is my honor to meet you, sir."_ had been her reply. And then Sayaka introduced her father to Kyōko, and Daichi had welcomed the barely-reformed delinquent into his home. _"My daughter has told me many good things about you. Welcome, Sakura-san."_ were the words he said. Kyōko treated the opportunity as a gift from the God who had been absent in her life since the night her family had been destroyed. Still, a lump of worry caught in her throat as she contemplated the question she needed to ask next.

"D-do your parents know that I slept, uh, _with _you?" The redhead was already cringing to know the answer, afraid that she had damaged the precious gift she had been given. _Kyōko-chan, you need to understand_ came Sayaka's reply, not as words, but as thoughts and feelings through the empathic link they shared. _My father is extremely perceptive. He can read people as if he were linked to them just as we are now. I'm quite sure he knew we were in love with each other from the moment we entered his office. Besides_, Sayaka then paused to let a devious grin spread across her face. _The way you screamed last night, even Mami-san knows what we were doing._

"Wh-a-a-a-t?!" Panic seized the red-haired girl, driving her eyes as wide as saucers. Shame, an emotion which had been absent for a long time in her rude and crude life, washed over Kyōko as she contemplated what had happened. But then Sayaka's grin turned into giggles, and the game was up.

"Oh man, you are just too easy to get!" Sayaka enfolded her lover into a hug to lessen the blow. Conveniently this also placed Kyōko's ear close at hand so the blunette could breath into it in a sultry whisper. "(but if you want, I can make ya scream that loud after school, before my parents get home!)" Kyōko could only nod assent, having no breath for actual speech.

* * *

Hitomi Shizuki awoke in a way which she never had before; upon a tear-stained pillow with dread in her heart. She made her way furtively to the bathroom so as not to alert her mother she was awake. There the rumpled green-haired girl opened her hand to look upon the object which she had clutched all throughout the night, so hard it left an impression upon her hand: A Soul Gem, its' rich green glow only slightly marred by wisps of darkness flowing through it.

Hitomi was all too aware of what the device could do, and what those stains of darkness meant. The knowledge had been imparted to her the previous night by Homura Akemi, and the revelations had turned what had already been the worst day in her life into a true waking nightmare.

For a moment, Hitomi considered getting a hammer and smashing the ovoid gemstone. She knew the Soul Gem was not invulnerable, and that the destruction would bring about a swift and final release to her pain. _No._ Hitomi shook her head at herself in the mirror. _You stepped right into this mess, you don't get to take the easy way out. You can't just buy friendship, and you were stupid to try. But maybe, just maybe, you can still _earn_ friendship. Meet your fate with your head held high, Hitomi Shizuki._

Hitomi nodded in affirmation to her herself and suddenly her Soul Gem sparkled and changed, becoming a beautiful ring about her middle finger, with lustrous emerald set beneath a fine platinum filigree worked to suggest a pattern of scales. The nail at the end of the finger likewise shimmered and gained a beautiful sparkling coat of emerald green. After admiring the ring for a minute, Hitomi decided to paint the rest of her nails to match, humming a happy tune all the while.

* * *

Homura Akemi awoke in the barren apartment she had always taken as her own in every cycle and laid back in bed, savoring the heartache which spiked pain through her soul. _You have been so cold, for so long, that even this feels good._ The thought was enough to put a smirk upon the haughty black-haired girl's face. She yawned and stretched, then began properly getting ready for the day.

"So the Walpurgis is still coming," Homura said to the toaster as it did its' daily duty. "And we're probably all going to die horrible deaths or have to kill each other before we become Witches, and even if we survive, we're probably going to have a hard time of it afterward, and even discounting that, we're some seriously fucked-up individuals." _Great, now Kyōko has managed to corrupt even me!_ The thought held only fondness for the red-haired tempest who had started the chain reaction which led to the present situation. "But save for one thing, I wouldn't have it any differently." The catch popped and the toaster offered up applause in the form of two golden squares of bread. "Thanks, toaster, for always being here for me." Homura patted the device affectionately, then realized that was a bad idea, shaking her burned hand. The situation was enough to cause a giggle, which Homura indulged in gladly, even if it sounded slightly cracked. It felt good to laugh again.

* * *

For the most part, school passed in a blur. The utterly buoyant feelings bouncing between Kyōko and Sayaka were enough to incapacitate both of them, and the huge grin on Sayaka's face combined with the unusual presence of the "apprentice" student in the building had the rumor mill churning at double-speed. Homura had even less a chance to concentrate because she had to worry about both the cheerless frown which remained upon Madoka's face all throughout the day as well as Hitomi's twitchy nervousness. And on top of that, just the snippets of what was flashing between the Puella Magi with whom she was linked was enough to leave her flushed with embarrassment, and burned by unnatural heat in places she never expected.

Lunchtime wasn't much better. First, Sayaka strolled in arm-in-arm with Kyōko, which netted scattered applause. This immediately set the blunette's face aflame, but Kyōko just grinned and flashed the V-for-victory sign to whomever was looking. The spectacle was at least partially for the benefit for one Hitomi Shizuki who had joined their usual table at lunch after joining the Puella Magi club the previous evening, and brought Kyosuke Kamijō with her. Homura resisted the temptation to let her head drop into her palms out of embarrassment on behalf of her fellow Puella Magi.

Even worse, when Madoka arrived, it was quite apparent she had been crying. The sweet pink-haired girl was never good at hiding her feelings, but to have gone the entire day with her eyes red-rimmed and puffy, with tear-streaks down her cheeks spoke to a new depth of hurt indeed. Despite the outcome of their words last night, Homura couldn't help but reach out to this most precious girl.

"Are you okay?" asked Homura as soon as Madoka sat down, and immediately regretted it. She was immediately speared by a set of pained pink eyes filled with a considerable amount of hostility. "Right. Question withdrawn. My apologies." When she realized what she had said, Homura glanced around quickly to see if anyone had seen her moment of contrition. What she saw was that Kyōko and Sayaka were playing the "say ahh!" game and Hitomi and Kyosuke were watching the antics with expressions of politely-concealed outrage and open amusement respectively. No one was paying Homura or Madoka the slightest attention at all. Good. Satisfied that her cover hadn't been blown, Homura flicked her hair nonchalantly and re-assumed her mask of cool superiority. And then Madoka finally spoke.

"I would like to talk with you again after school, Homura-chan. I think we got off on the wrong foot last night." Homura suppressed a snort at that- Madoka's "wrong foot" had added up to a teeth-rattling slap from the pink-haired girl. Still, even with the deviations adding up in this ultimate cycle, their argument wasn't enough to explain the tears which Madoka obviously had shed. If there was any way to correct her errors, Homura would do so, regardless of the cost to herself. However, true to form, Madoka was already bouncing back somewhat, with the beginning of a smile on her face as she looked upon her friends. Madoka then innocently asked a question of Sayaka at just the right moment to distract the other girl from what she was doing, with the end result being a sushi roll was smashed into Kyōko's nose instead of where it belonged.

Laughter rippled around the table, doubly so when Kyōko curled her lip to keep the roll in place for a moment before gulping it down with a snap of her head, like a circus act. Madoka grinned at the silliness, and Homura felt a thrill run up her spine. _Since when does she have a tricky streak to her?_ Homura then took a breath and went to call forward the business which hung over all their heads but that no one wanted to acknowledge.

"Hitomi Shizuki, are you free this evening? We have some matters we all need to discuss." The mood at the table turned brittle, as each of the Puella Magi had their own reasons for not wanting to reopen the wounds of the previous evening.

"Yes, Akemi-san, I have some time. I would be glad to talk with you." Hitomi gave an encouraging smile and there was a barely perceptible sigh of relief around the table.

"Hitomi-san, may I accompany you? I would like to get to know your and Sayaka's friends better." This was Kyosuke, polite as ever, even when he was inviting himself into a calamity. Hitomi just shook her head, however.

"Sorry Strings, girl stuff. You wouldn't understand. No hard feelings?" Kyōko replied for her.

* * *

After classes had ended, the Puella Magi met up upon the roof of the Academy's main building. The large open space was as elegantly furnished as the rest of the campus, and the bright spring afternoon made for a cheerful backdrop to the meeting which was taking place. At first, things had not gone well- Kyōko and Sayaka were still sitting together, the perfect picture of a couple in love, and Homura took her usual aloof stance nearby, but this left the three girls arrayed solidly against Hitomi when she arrived, and this immediately put the green-haired girl on the defensive. Madoka meanwhile slunk to a corner and tried to be as unnoticeable as possible.

"Alright, this isn't working." Kyōko stated. She had been rolling an orange between her palms and then with a sudden flash she had a sword out and the orange was divested of its' cover. And then, in most un-Kyōko-like fashion, she sauntered over to the trash bin and tossed the peel where it belonged. The redhead then remained by the bin, munching on her fruit. "We're gonna get nowhere, and fast, if we can't even have a friendly mysterious meeting on top of the school without a catfight." Kyōko took another bite of the orange while she set up the bomb. "Hey Mossy. I still think you were stupid for takin' the plunge, but I apologize for how I treated you."

For a minute there was nothing but unnatural silence. Then Kyōko was ducking out of the way as a pencil case came flying at her head. "Hey! What's with you and that apology! You never apologized for all the times you tried to beat me up!" Sayaka was on her feet with an accusing finger pointed straight at Kyōko.

"Not with words, no . . ." Kyōko ran her tongue slowly across her sharp canines as she spoke, and Sayaka turned cherry red and started spluttering. "Hey, I think I hear the teakettle boiling!"

A polite cough preempted further banter. "I accept your apologies, Sakura-san, and I appreciate the . . . intent behind your actions, even if you were a bit crude about it. But I must also apologize to you all. I have been, in the words of my esteemed colleague, a, ahem, 'fucking idiot', to your detriment. Please accept my apologies." Hitomi then bowed before the other girls.

"Well in that case, I kinda feel bad about hitting you in the face." Sayaka squirmed in her seat as she spoke. "(it was a pretty good hit though.)" the blunette muttered under her breath.

"Ahh, jeez, I wasn't planning on kicking off a love-in here." Kyōko finished her orange and started rooting around in her bookbag for something else to eat. _One of the advantages of playing schoolgirl, I suppose._ In fact the bag was stuffed with enough food to last a normal person a full week. Sayaka was praying it wouldn't be empty before tomorrow night.

"Then perhaps you should have considered the consequences of your actions." Homura took the opportunity to take center stage. Kyōko favored the black-haired girl with a sour look.

"You're one to talk!" snapped the red-haired Puella Magi as she started in on a box of rice crackers.

"Indeed." And then it was Homura's turn to surprise the other girls, as she dropped to one knee, and bowed her head before them. "I have wronged all of you terribly. In my pursuit of my selfish quest I have treated you as expendable tokens or worse, and in doing so I have even lost sight of my goal. I do not expect that I can ever earn forgiveness, but I wish to express to you all the depths of my remorse for what I have done, in the hopes that you will be willing to accept me as an ally in the coming fight."

"Uh, yeah. Are you sure you're feeling alright? You don't have the Martian Brain Flu or anything?" Homura stood with a smile on her face and turned to look at Sayaka.

"Never been better."

At that moment, another party joined the conversation. _You are all gathering to fight against Walpurgis together? Are you capable of doing that?_ Kyubey strode over to take a place in the circle of Puella Magi. _Can you trust each other enough to fight side by side?_ A truly impressive array of weaponry greeted the fluffball and wind bit a crack right before Kyubey's feet as Hitomi's axe came out. Homura could _feel_ what was coming next; Hitomi would bring her weapon around in another pass and the line of sharp wind would toss the little beast into the air and there Kyōko and Sayaka's weapons would intersect, putting him out of the Puella Magis' misery. To be sure, Homura nocked two arrows, twisting the violet constructs in her fingers for a split shot that would cover either angle to which Kyubey could escape.

"S-stop, please!" Madoka chose that moment to interpose herself, and scoop up the little familiar. "Don't kill him!" There was a collective sigh and some disappointment as weapons were dismissed and the Puella Magi stood down.

_You've saved me again, Madoka. Thank you._ At this, Madoka held out the little white creature at arms' length. "I didn't do it for you Kyubey. I just didn't want anyone to waste magic they might need later."_ Oh. I see._ Kyubey hopped down and stood a short distance away from Madoka. _You know, if your friends' use of magic concerns you so greatly, you should make a contract._

"Why?" Madoka looked down at Kyubey. The pink-haired girl was unsettled by the question, and Homura had a flash of insight. _This is why she was crying . . ._

_If you make a contract, you could assist your friends and help share the burden so no one uses too much magic. _But Madoka just shook her head. "No, I mean why do you keep trying to make contracts?"

_As I told you before, we Incubators are gathering strong emotional energy to stave off the effects of entropy. _Kyubey's static face somehow radiated confusion as he pondered Madoka.

"But why? Why do you fight so hard to keep the world alive when you don't have anything with which to fill the time you steal? An eternity without love and laughter isn't a goal to work for, it's the cruelest nightmare imaginable! How can you keep doing it Kyubey? Please, tell me!" Tears filled Madoka's pretty eyes and spilled down her cheeks as she contemplated the fate of the little mascot, and Homura shook her head in disbelief. _After everything that little monster has done to us, and Madoka still cries on his behalf. And damn her, but I see her point! Madoka Kaname, even without a bow in hand you still managed to fletch my heart._

Kyubey just turned his back to Madoka and stalked off, dismissing her with a flick of his fat-paintbrush tail. _I really don't understand humans._ However, the Incubator wasn't as infallible as he pretended, and Homura's straining senses caught one more thought from the little white beast: _. . . and that is beginning to be a problem for me._ The thought warmed Homura's heart considerably.

"So, uh, where were we?" Sayaka interjected into the awkward silence left behind after Kyubey left. Homura looked to where Madoka was sitting, measuring the girl's reaction to see if she was sufficiently recovered before continuing.

"We were going to discuss planning and preparation for the Walpurgis-" Homura stated, as Kyōko bounced to her feet.

"Well, hell, I know a bar just off the mains downtown that doesn't card. They sell preparation for cheap, in pints and pitchers!" That drew a giggle from the other girls, and even Homura couldn't keep a bit of a grin off her face at the thought.

"Er, thank you for sharing, Kyōko, but I'm trying to be serious here-" Again Homura was cut off by the redhead.

"Okay, you want serious? Then how's this: I'm gonna go home and hold Sayaka-chan in my arms and tell her everything I need to tell her, so that when it's go time, there's nothing to hold me back."

* * *

_And that was really all that needed to be said, I suppose._ Homura mused upon the situation. Kyōko and Sayaka and Hitomi had scampered off. They said they were going to help Hitomi tell Kyosuke what was going on, but Homura was already fortifying her mind so as not to be embarrassed in front of Madoka. The pink-haired girl had insisted they go to the mall to chat and so Homura was now standing beside Madoka on the beautiful glassed-in overlook, trying not to think of how much the situation felt like a date.

BGM: Alstroemeria Records - Killed Dancehall - "Romantic Children"

"I'm so happy that Sayaka-chan and Kyōko-chan have each other. They're really cute, if a bit, um, enthusiastic!" Madoka had a luminescent blush and a smile both on her face as she mentioned the red-and-blue pair.

_Everyone always says my words are strange, but_

_What hurts the most is that you won't notice me._

"That's certainly one way to put it, I suppose." Homura turned a wry grin on Madoka. "Be glad you didn't get bound into their empathic link the other night. They, um, _radiate_ a bit at times." The black-haired girl couldn't help but feel a blush creeping onto her face, and she gave her hair a customary flick to try to regain some composure.

_I don't understand, I don't understand!_

_My words won't reach you, but of course they wouldn't.._

Madoka turned away suddenly, a pout on her face, and Homura realized that what she had said wasn't what Madoka wanted her to say, but Homura didn't know how to find the correct choice. "I hate this. I know I'm little. I know I'm weak. I know I have nothing special to make me stand out. But the heart in my chest is just the same as Sayaka's."

_Don't you understand? I'm right here! If you'd just turn around…_

"Oh." Homura's mind was a void. _I certainly didn't expect her to bring me here to confess something like that. To be eclipsed by that delinquent . . . Well, I now understand why Sayaka broke so quickly when it was her turn to be betrayed._ Her lips moved of their own accord while she was lost in chilling emptiness. "I'm sorry. If you will excuse me . . ." Homura Akemi stumbled blindly away, clutching at a mortal wound that only she was aware of.

_Isn't it fantastic? This light when our hands touch_

_Embracing us both, together…?_

The first coherent thought which assembled itself in Homura's head as she tried to place distance between herself and the author of her pain was, _Oh how I wish I had let you die in my arms._ Homura shook her head as the agonizing memories of her past cycles drew about her like a familiar, comfortable coat. And then, _How could I even think such a thing? Why have I endured this long darkness if not for her sake?_

_You still don't understand?_

_"Do you want to make that person's wish come true, or do you just want them to be indebted to you?"_ The words had been spoken just days ago, but Homura had already relegated them to the distant past, like everything else in her life. "Mami Tomoe . . . You are fortunate indeed to have died before all this came to pass."

_Forget, just forget everything else…_

_You won't? Why not? It's better that way._

_Everything I have done is now a lie._ Homura reflexively clutched at her Soul Gem, but she refused to open her hand. There was no value in being reminded just how sick she had become. But as she held the precious gem, Homura became aware of another sensation, so familiar and right now, oh so welcome. _Kyōko Sakura, you had better take good care of her . . . when I'm gone._

_After all, if you still feel any lingering attachments to anything_

_I've already crushed them all, again and again…_

_Even what was once precious to me._

Homura Akemi walked straight into the Barrier, finding the demented nonspace as welcoming as her own home. Neon snakes, actual serpents made of glowing glass tubing approached the black-haired girl and deeper within the Barrier, the Familiar appeared as a construct of hard light. With a soft sigh, Homura spread her arms and waited for the inevitable.

_The moon filled with magic has still yet to speak, but it shines_

_So white it's as if it were freezing, and this dream has yet to end_

Tendrils of some kind lashed around Homura's legs and yanked the black-haired girl off her feet as missiles ripped through the space where she had been standing just a moment ago. The light-snakes hissed angrily and then another volley of arrows shot past. There was an electronic squeal as the shots hit home and then the Barrier fuzzed out into static and went away. Homura looked up to see who had come to her rescue and gasped.

"I'm sorry, Homura-chan." Standing over her was Madoka, wearing that cute costume of pink and white which had so haunted the her dreams for a thousand lifetimes and more. "I was kinda selfish, but it was all I could wish for."

_Only this moon filled with magic will embrace me, and_

_I want to believe that it's always watching me, forever and ever._


	10. Causality Crash

Episode 10 : Causality Crash

Homura Akemi was laying upon her back staring up at the Puella Magi who just saved her life. _It appears I was pulled from one nightmare into another. _Madoka Kaname, either unaware or just unconcerned with the doom she had just brought down upon herself, reached down and helped her black-haired friend to her feet.

"_Now_ what the hell is going on?" One, two, three familiar figures skidded to a stop in the formerly-deserted corner of the mall where the latest drama had played out. No, check that, four familiar people had come running, but Kyōko, Sayaka, and Hitomi had outpaced Kyosuke, which wasn't that surprising considering his status as a mere mortal.

"I kinda had to save Homura-chan from a bad thing." answered a sheepish Madoka. Immediately four sets of eyes turned to lock on to the black-haired girl, and Homura was very uncomfortable with the looks of dismay which were aimed her way. _Bah. Develop one tiny bit of a reputation for competence, and you'll never get a slack day again!_

But when she went to speak about the situation, Homura's cool, calm demeanor left her and what she said was, "Yeah, well when you decided to confess to me how you were in love with Kyōko, yeah I got a little upset and was stupid! So there!"

"Say whaaat?!" echoed in stereo from both Kyōko and Madoka, with the former giving the latter a quick glance just make sure there wasn't something there she had missed.

"T-th-that's what you thought I was trying to say? I'm sorry, Homura-chan!" Somehow being apologized to was more painful than the misunderstanding in the first place. Any number of responses presented themselves, but Homura just shook her head, determined at the very least not to make the situation worse. Madoka continued on explaining, her face now completely scarlet. "I guess I'll have to speak more clearly."And then suddenly her soft hands were wrapped around Homura's collar and Madoka dragged the taller girl down in to a kiss that set her completely afire. That caused the rest of the Puella Magi to burst into a round of applause, and Homura would have likely blushed if she could turn any redder, but all she could hear was Madoka's whisper in her ear. "(what I wanted to say was, how can I get you to love me if you keep putting me on a pedestal and treating me like some p-priceless relic. I'm a girl inside too, you know.)"

"Mmm, I definitely can tell you're a girl after that," said Homura when they finally broke apart. "(but you're still priceless to me.)"

"So, does this call for a celebration dinner? Or do you just want to skip to the after-dinner festivities?" Kyōko wrapped her arms around each of the girls as she leaned in conspiratorially, to which Homura rolled her eyes and shoved the redhead off. As irritating as the redhead might have been, however, Homura projected gratitude over the link for the diversion. Right now, the black-haired girl welcomed any sort of venture which let her follow, rather than have to venture into unknown territory with only the dubious guidance of her heart.

"Are you trying to help, Kyōko Sakura, or are you just angling for a free meal?" This sort of banter at least Homura knew how to handle.

"I just really want to see you two succeed. Although I've got nothing against free food." Madoka then spun out from beneath Kyōko's arm and gave the redhead a slightly mocking bow.

"Kyōko-sama, teach me your ways, I beg you!" The only response was the sound of a palm meeting a forehead.

"I'm doomed!" exclaimed Homura before she could check herself, and then she peeled her hand off her face and realized she'd put more into the gesture than intended. ". . . owie."

"If I might interject?" Kyosuke surprised the girls by taking center stage. "Shall we go somewhere and talk? I would like to know more about . . . all of this." he gestured vaguely, encompassing the Puella Magi together. "If you are willing and able, of course."

"And I want a rematch!" Now Hitomi was getting several pairs of dubious eyes.

"Uh, you technically _won_ the last time, Mossy. Usually the loser asks for the rematch."

"But, you shouldn't call yourself a loser, Sakura-san." came the smooth reply from the green-haired girl. _Admit it, you walked right into that one, _Sayaka sent over the link.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Kyōko grumped in response, but she gave a big smile to show there was no damage done.

"In all seriousness though, I do wish to get to know you all better and learn how you fight. After all, if I'm to fight by your side against this Walpurgis monster, I should know how best to fit in, right?"

"Huh, that actually makes sense. I'm scared now. Hold me, Sayaka!" Judging by where Kyōko put her hands upon the blunette in mock-fright, however, it appeared to be a _very_ thinly disguised excuse to get a head start on the evening's festivities. Sayaka simply grabbed on to the big bow which kept Kyōko's hair somewhat in check and pulled until the redhead was forced to let go. Still manipulating the other girl by her hair, Sayaka gave Kyōko a shove in Hitomi's direction.

"You want her? She's all yours." Hitomi giggled at the antics with the rest of the girls, but just to be safe she stepped back and put her hands up before her protectively.

"You're no fun, you know that Blueberry?" Kyōko shot back after she regained her footing.

"Nor do I want to forget myself and start responding to your hands, you dirty delinquent. I like this mall. I don't want to get banned from it."

"Fine, fine, but I still owe you for this morning!" Sayaka rolled her eyes and the party took that as their cue to leave before anything went seriously wrong. _Once again, I find myself in your debt, Kyōko Sakura. You are becoming vexingly skillful at putting me in this position._ Kyōko tilted her head to catch Homura's eye and then winked. _Just keep being true to yourself, Homerun, and we'll call it square. Otherwise . . . I'll have to drag _both _of you back to my lair for 'remedial training', got it?_

". . . I'm doomed."

* * *

The Puella Magi had been observed by only one soul as they made their plans and exited the mall. _Madoka Kaname. You made your wish. "Protect my precious friends from ever suffering true sorrow," you said. Even when you were desperate, you remained pure and selfless. Truly, I do not understand __humans. I need to know what makes you capable of such acts. I need to know what you meant by what you said earlier._

* * *

Parents were phoned, arrangements were made, and Kyōko's card was deemed suitable for one more dinner, albeit more modest than the previous night's affair. A quick jaunt by train brought the party to neighboring Kasimono City, where Kyōko led them all to the well-preserved corpse of a church. Inside was a bit of a mess, but a few good kicks and tosses soon had the elevated center of the chapel cleared well enough to serve as a dueling circle, 10 meters or so in diameter. _Are you really sure about this?_ Sayaka sent as they were working, knowing the sad history of the place.

_Yeah, I am,_ Kyōko sent back. _I'd like to see at least something good happen here once more. And kicking Mossy's ass is going to definitely qualify._ Kyōko chomped on her after-dinner crisps as she made the boast. Then Hitomi stepped in the middle of the circle, bowed to the other Puella Magi, and then she began to change.

BGM : Alstroemeria Records - Trois Noir - "For Lovers Not Fighters (Tsukasa Remix)"

Hitomi cupped her Soul Gem in her hands as the most precious treasure in the world and its' lambent green glow swelled to encompass her entirely. Tendrils of light wove around her throat, securing the Soul Gem upon a choker, and then more light poured down her body, creating a strapless gown in a rich forest hue with a pleated skirt tied up with bows, matching gloves and boots. A soft cap sat upon her head and then Hitomi raised her arms in a Y above her and a splinter of light cracked in place. The head formed upon her greataxe, and the green Puella Magi twirled in place, ready to begin.

Kyōko chose to enter the fray at about shoulder-level, with a jump-kick aimed at her opponent's head. Hitomi whirled with her axe to block, which was exactly what Kyōko was hoping for. One sword shot out and entangled the haft of the axe, and then the redhead tumbled past and used her momentum to pull the heavy weapon around and jam it into the ground. Kyōko's other sword shot out to prick Hitomi, but the green-haired Puella Magi did something unexpected then and let go of her axe. As the weapon vanished, a halo of green energy gathered over Hitomi's fist, and she through a hammer-punch at her hard-charging opponent.

A fistful of wind smacked Kyōko in the gut and blew her back. Hitomi reformed her axe for another attack with terrific speed, slashing through the air around her to buffet any attacks which might be coming her way while she pirouetted and put all her power into the next swing. She was trusting her opponent to keep herself safe, just as Hitomi wanted no punches pulled against her. There was a shout of joy on Hitomi's lips, but then her axe caught Kyōko fully in the side- And then the illusion vanished into crimson mist- And then the real Kyōko was sweeping Hitomi's legs out from beneath her.

To her credit Hitomi managed to bury her axe in the floor, giving her leverage to keep on her feet, and she even aimed a good back-kick at Kyōko to keep the redhead at bay. With the marvelous strength and preternatural speed gained from her wish Hitomi was already turning for the next attack, pulling her weapon free and hoisting it for a huge downswing, but nothing the green-haired girl could do could compensate for the wide stroke of her chosen weapon and Kyōko was suddenly there between her arms, far inside the reach of the green-haired girl's weapon. The red-haired Puella Magi examined Hitomi for a moment with feline amusement, then she planted a good solid kiss on her opponent's lips, taking advantage of the other's wordless cry of "!" at the maneuver to slip in her tongue just for a moment.

"Nope, still like Homerun better. You were pretty good though, Hitomi." said Kyōko as she released her defeated foe. The green-haired girl gave a quick bow and then exited the platform, blushing furiously. And then, Kyōko was blasted backward by a full-on shield slam.

"My turn!" cried Sayaka as she held up her lance in salute. Kyōko skidded to a stop and flicked her swords up into position. The redhead grinned and burst forward like a rocket, and Sayaka dropped her lance in line to keep her lover at bay. Kyōko crossed her swords and drove the long weapon down and then leaped to throw slashes that would have parted Sayaka's bangs, to say the least, had they landed.

A sweep of her shield sent the blades away with musical rings, then Sayaka flung Kyōko backward and thrust in with the lance, managing to prick the redhead just slightly before she rolled away from the attack. One sword was racing out to trim Sayaka's hair once more while Kyōko loosed her chain and wrapped the other surreptitiously around the haft of the lance. Sayaka turned to front her shield and withdraw her lance, and she brought Kyōko with her, who then quick-stepped up the face of the shield and dropped in behind Sayaka.

"Got'cha!" cried the redhead, but Sayaka wasn't done. She faked a slam with her shield, causing Kyōko to roll to the right and Sayaka helped her out, yanking her lance to the left. Sayaka tossed her lance and let the shield dissipate, then turned half back as Kyōko was still at the mercy of momentum and kicked the redhead's feet out from underneath her. A hand on her sternum convinced Kyōko to rise, not that she would have struggled much against the lovely vision above her.

"Got'cha back," said Sayaka, and then she leaned in an took a kiss from Kyōko, making sure to lick the redhead's lips on the way back up. "So that's what Hitomi tastes like," the blunette muttered, earning an embarrassed giggle from the girl in question. Kyōko meanwhile lay on her back, panting and grinning like a madwoman as she contemplated taking her companion down with her. Instead, the red-haired Puella Magi rolled to her feet and sketched a seriously disreputable bow before bouncing off stage.

The shriek of an arrow tearing through the air got Sayaka's attention as it dove into the flooring. Kyōko turned to watch, snatching up a box of rice crackers in lieu of popcorn as Sayaka lifted up her lance once more. A smile crossed Homura's face as she took to the stage. Two more missiles streaked out but sang their away across Sayaka's raised shield to no effect as she raised her lance and charged. Homura whirled her bow suddenly, first smiting aside the lance then coming up to whap the blunette on the shoulder. Sayaka reversed her turn in a hurry, leading with the shield as she brought her lance up overhand for another stroke.

Homura slid out of the way and then reached out and trailed the feathers of the arrow in her hand across Sayaka's cheek. A giddy feeling radiated from the black-haired girl, the sense that she was doing something she had been absolutely forbidden from doing, and was loving every minute of it. The sensation made the blunette's eyes widen with wonderment as she continued the turn to chase Homura with the point of her weapon, and then the black-haired girl nocked the arrow and let it loose. Guarding against the speeding missile caused Sayaka to slow just enough for Homura to take to the sky in a great leap.

At the apex of the jump, deep violet light rolled out from Homura's shoulders forming wings which bit into the air to hold her aloft for a moment. Two arrows shot down to earth, exploding in clouds of smoke which blinded Sayaka for a moment. Homura dropped upon her opponent with a stooping hawk's speed. When the smoke parted, Homura had one stave of her bow around Sayaka's throat, while the latter had her hands up in surrender. Eyes sparkling with amusement, Homura leaned in for a moment, just long enough for Sayaka to realize what was to be her fate. Then Homura stole a lovely kiss from the blunette.

"Three down, one to go," was Homura's only comment, but the look in her eyes made Hitomi take what cover she could behind a thoroughly entertained Kyosuke. Homura turned and arranged her hair with a flick, then suddenly spun with her bow bent to an arrow. Facing her was Madoka with her rose-branch bow likewise loaded and ready. "Now how is this going to work?"

A sudden shot from the pink-haired girl caused Homura to snap to attention and loose her own shot, with the arrows slamming into each other to no result. "About like that, I think," replied Madoka while her opponent drew for another shot. The rose crowning her bow suddenly bloomed huge and beautiful, and Madoka knocked down Homura's shot with the plate-sized flower before drawing two arrows at once and loosing both.

Homura saw her opening and leaped for the ceiling once more, her wings unfurling as soon as her feet left the floor. One, two, then three shots sailed down, but Madoka danced between them and fitted her own shot to string. Suddenly a complex red glyph burst to life in the air midway between the two girls and Madoka took her shot, which split into seven upon passing through the glyph. Homura goggled at the effect momentarially, then she was swooping to avoid the arrows which had become tenacious little seekers. A stave-swipe knocked down one, then an arrow spitted another, Homura was twirling in a frantic aerial dance as she was pursued, leaving another seeker buried in a column and taking a shot upon another which knocked it down and then she just plain _outflew_ the last two, faking them with a complex pivot which caused the two missiles to slam together and knock themselves from the sky. Homura's wings went away and she dropped to the floor, coming up in a roll to loose another shot at Madoka.

The arrow stuck in the rose-blossom guard, and Homura went to dodge to her right- but vines had trapped her feet when she wasn't looking. Homura raised her hands in surrender while they were still free, although she didn't appear to much mind the situation at all. Madoka stalked up to the black-haired girl who was now on her knees.

"Ooh! Madoka you naughty girl, I didn't know you were into S&M!" Sayaka's sideline catcall caused a furious blush to blossom upon Madoka's face, but it did nothing to remove her huge smile as she knelt to be in front of Homura.

"Well . . . how else am I supposed to keep this girl where I can get my hands on her?" The question was asked with pure Madoka innocence, which somehow made it all the naughtier. Madoka cupped Homura's chin in her hand and took the kiss she had so well earned. A cheer went up from the other girls, and even Kyosuke joined in with polite clapping on behalf of the couple. Homura heard the noise, but she was content to just stay here in this lovely embrace until Madoka was content to release her. Or until time decided to end, whichever was the case.

"Homura-chan, you said you fought for me for a thousand lifetimes." There was an impish smile upon Madoka's face as she helped the black-haired Puella Magi to her feet. Homura nodded, as tears caught in the corners of her eyes. "Then that I means I have a lot of catching up to do. Shall we go get started?"

"By all means, lets." A blush and a smile were both fixed on Homura's face and she hoped they would never go away.

"Here!" Kyōko called out and a small object sailed through the air. Homura caught it with easy grace and looked it over- it was the keycard to a hotel room, and Homura knew just which one it was. "Put it to good use!"

* * *

BGM: Alstroemeria Records - Abandoned Dancehall - "Necrofantasia (ALR Rewind Remix)"

Five girls stood shoulder to shoulder against the dying of the light. A storm had come to Mitikahara, a calamity with its' own dreadful name: Walpurgis.

_Dim the lights now / __Turn the sound down_

_Kiss me / Quickly_

Kyōko and Sayaka stood hand-in-hand as they watched the monstrous Witch approach. To say they felt no fear would be a lie; but each knew they would fight their hardest, to win the day for that other who was so precious to their hearts. Nothing need be said- love and devotion had energized the empathic link until it was as if they existed as one soul was split between two bodies.

_Cause the world is ending / All around us_

_Shelter me / and watch the dust choke out the skyline_

Homura likewise was hand-in-hand with Madoka. This was it; the ultimate cycle. No more retries, no alternate scenario, and Homura Akemi could find no fault in that. It was not that she had lacked a reason to fight before, but the difference now was Homura had a reason to win.

Madoka felt her heart swelling with love as she stood hand-in-hand with this mysterious, wonderful girl who had swept into her life so suddenly just weeks ago. The previous night had been an amazing gift, but to be here as an equal instead of simply the little girl whom everyone had to protect was a unique treasure for Madoka.

_Till sunrise_

Hitomi Shizuki stood between her friends, filled with determination. She had the right to be here, not because of any magic wish, but because her friends valued and trusted her. Hitomi would see the world go black and cold before she let them down.

Homura and Madoka each fitted arrows to bows and drew until the bowstrings sang with tension. Hitomi tightened up her grip upon her axe and set herself. Kyōko and Sayaka let go of each other and let weapons fill their hands instead. "_GO!_"

Arrows streaked skyward to prick at Walpurgis and let her know that destiny had come for her. Close behind were forms of red, green, and blue, bounding upward to take the fight to the Witch directly. And then the rain began to fall.

Sayaka raised her shield and let it be an aegis for her friends as they pushed towards Walpurgis. Torrents of black magic battered against the device but the Knight of Justice held firm, letting nothing through until the assault slackened for a moment. The uber-Witch was attempting to calculate a strategy to pierce that shield when Kyōko and Hitomi pounced. A shout of "Rosso Fantasma!" rocked the heavens and then there were 13 images of the fiery Puella Magi all slashing and slicing and tearing at Walpurgis' outer shell. And wherever the strikes managed to breach through to reveal the clockwork horror within, Hitomi was there with an almighty chop that made the sky cry in pain.

Madoka was lining up a shot when Homura wrapped her arms around the smaller girl and yanked her away. "Hey!" she called out, but then Madoka noticed the living shadows creeping up on them. Countless little clowns with half-familiar shapes swarmed over their rooftop, their jerky, out-of-sync motion and cartoonish figures somehow combining to give a sinister appearance. Homura and Madoka shot and shot and shot from their new position, mixing in explosive arrows and thickets of thorny roses to slow up the monsters, but it was barely sufficient. "Sure would be nice if I had some grenades right now," muttered Homura as they abandoned their position again.

Up above, the Puella Magi who had been attacking Walpurgis directly were now stuck at a standstill- Rosso Fantasma had worn off and it was all the three could do to keep free of the swarm of abominations. The fight was taking its' toll, in cuts, nicks, and scratches which added up to significant damage and distraction for all three girls. "Come to me!" shouted Hitomi, using magic to make sure her companions could hear. Sayaka and Kyōko fell back immediately, knowing only a united front would win this battle. Hitomi spun her axe about her and the massive weapon began orbiting about on its' own before breaking apart into several shards which encircled her in a moving shell of blades. "I don't know how long I can give you, so catch your breath and then get ready for another go." The green-haired Puella Magi then clapped her hands together and closed her eyes, letting the shine of her Soul Gem illuminate the world around her. "_IRON TEMPEST!_" came the shout and suddenly the three girls were in the eye of a hurricane of blades.

"Madoka, cover for me." Homura squared up and drew from deep within herself a very special arrow. She hated putting her beloved on the spot like this, but she hated the creature eclipsing the sky even more. Homura saw Hitomi's brave stance and noticed an opening and she fitted arrow to bow. _Mami Tomoe, I wish you could be here to see this. Look what you've got us all doing._ Every mistake from every failed cycle would be corrected here . . . now!

"_OMEGA SHOT!_"

The blazing bolt of purple-white fire shot into Walpurgis and exploded deep within. All around the sky the storm shook in agony to the sound of gnashing gears destroying themselves. Walpurgis screamed.

But it was not a scream of pain. Anger so intense it had a physical force to it slashed down upon the Puella Magi. Hitomi's spell was interrupted and she and the others tumbled away. And then pieces of Walpurgis' ruined insides were spat out upon them and each one was a spark of burning spite come to torment the brave beautiful girls who sought to fight against this most dire of nights. Sayaka's symphonic aegis turned away most of the harm- as long as there was someone who needed the protection of the Knight of Justice, that shield would never fail. The same was not true of Sayaka herself, however, and one of the sparks managed to weave past her defense, and then the shield was cast away along with most of Sayaka's arm as the abominable ammunition struck her.

Down on the ground, Homura and Madoka were separated when a skyscraper impacted their perch. Both girls had escaped but neither was uninjured after the attack. Homura spread her wings to carry her away from the blast site, and she could feel Madoka's energy moving away as well, but then Sayaka's awful scream reached them, and the black-haired Puella Magi could feel Madoka's presence begin to darken as grief for her friend touched her heart. Homura declined to look at her own Soul Gem, where she knew laid the evidence that she too was falling.

"Sayaka!" Kyōko dived after the love of her life, heedless of the sparks hunting after her as well. But then a mainspring burst within Walpurgis and uncoiled. In some ways it was a testament to the power of the Puella Magi- the uber-Witch was seriously injured and forced to resort to damaging itself further to be able to attack them. That fact was of little importance to Kyōko however, because the broken machinery whipped out and smited her from the sky. At the speed she was moving, the impact with the ground would be fatal to Kyōko . . . if she lived long enough to hit the ground.

Homura closed her eyes, but tears would not come. _If this is the way things must end, then so be it. I'm sorry, my dear friends, but even if I could begin the cycle anew, I would not. I can see it is true, that it is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all. Farewell . . ._

However, there was one card yet to be played. A bloody red flash of Puella Magi power flooded up from below and the newcomer announced her ultimate spell with a voice none of the girls had heard before.

"_CAUSALITY CRASH!_"

Everywhere the light reached, reality turned to glass and shattered. When the fragments of possibility disappeared altogether, Sayaka clenched her hand, hale and whole, and brought up her aegis once more. The blunette lunged to catch Kyōko, who was whole in body but still dazed, before she could have a terminal meeting with Mitikahara Town. Hope surged for four of the girls at this fortuitous turn of events, but whatever this new magic was, it could only avert tragedies which had already happened. There was nothing that could be done for the fact another skyscraper was about to land upon Madoka, who could only gaze up at her doom uncomprehending.

And then Homura heard the bite of metal into stonework behind her . . .


	11. Finale

Episode 11 : Finale

"Class, I would like to announce a new transfer student. She comes from some unusual circumstances, so won't everyone please make her feel welcome?" Saotome-sensei gave a short welcoming bow to the girl standing in the doorway, who took that to be a cue to enter.

The first thing which the students of 3-A noticed about their new member was the fact her hair was a silken white. This was enough to cause a stir, even in the classroom playing host to the Magical Girls, that rainbow-hued cabal of students so-named because of their collective supernatural ability to just disappear between classes or skip school entirely and not be punished for it. Whispers immediately started as the gossips of 3-A began asking if they would managed to have the new one for themselves or if she too would get snapped up by the Magical Girls, much like the lamented fate of Kyosuke Kamijō. That still stung the gossips and tender young hearts in the Middle School division, _but after all_, they all said, _how can we compete?_ Now that the ranks of the Magical Girls had swollen to seven, including a second-year and a high-schooler, Kyosuke could, ahem, have a different girl every day of the week! The fact that Kyosuke had not taken such dishonorable advantage of the situation didn't particularly matter; it was the fact that such enticement was available at all which got the boys envious and the girls riled.

Back to the matter at hand, however, the absence of further squeaks from the board up front meant the new girl must be done writing her name, and Class 3-A leaned in to see what they were getting. Indeed, the girl turned about and the class got their first good look at her. A broad smile and big red eyes lit up her cheerful face, and the girl seemed fairly bursting with energy, which made her hair sway all about her. If left loose the long white tresses would probably fallen to the middle of her back, but the girl had most of it bound up into a fat ponytail, while two thick side-locks were bound up with gold-ring devices so that they fell front, over her shoulders.

"Hello everyone! My name is Nova Florseca, and I look forward to getting to know you all." said the girl as she made an energetic bow.

* * *

"Umyaaa! It's so nice today!" said Nova as she stretched out on a bench on the rooftop at lunchtime. As the gossips had feared, the white-haired girl was immediately inducted into the Magical Girls' cabal. However, in their defense, the Puella Magi had known their new inductee before she had become a student at Mitikahara Academy, or even a Puella Magi. Or even a girl at all.

"You know, I didn't think we were going to actually defeat the Walpurgisnacht. And I really wasn't expecting to be saved by _you_, of all people." Sayaka bent down and flicked Nova's nose for good measure.

"Hey! Oww . . ." The white-haired girl clapped her hands over her nose, but she only played it up for a second, since a peek out of the corner of one eye showed that none of the assembled Puella Magi were buying it. "Well, you know, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!"

"Sure, for suitably broad definitions of 'girl', I suppose." Kyōko rolled a stick of Pocky in her mouth as she razzed the new girl.

"I am not taking that from you Kyōko! You're like the poster child for stupid, incomprehensible, inefficient, risky . . ." The white-haired girl trailed off in a huff, before digging in her backpack and pulling out a card. "Besides, my ID says I'm a girl!"

"Only because there was no checkbox on the form for 'transmuted alien fluffball', and Daichi-san was in a hurry!" The Puella Magi still didn't expect smart comebacks from the innocent mouth of Madoka and so they cracked up for a full minute. There had been some considerable explaining to do when Sayaka's father had stumbled upon eight drenched girls in strange costume wandering about in the torrential downpour that had accompanied the Walpurgisnacht. Still, Sayaka's and Madoka's word had counted for sufficient to get Nova squared away, and Captain Daichi was even glad to accommodate the weirdness the girls had brought to him when he learned that things had already been brought to a happy ending and that they could close one of his more bothersome open cases besides.

"So does that mean it's okay for me to go into the bath with you now, Madoka?" Nova brought up something that was of an in-joke between the two of them, but after the antics of Kyōko and Sayaka, the pink-haired girl barely blushed at the comment.

"Well, I'd have to ask Homura-chan I suppose." Madoka looked to the black-haired girl, who came up with a wicked grin.

"I suppose, as long as everything is done properly. . . Hey, Kyōko, what's the going rate for a floor show at Kageyama?"

"Hey, fuck you, Homerun! Why does everybody keep thinking I work there?"

"Well, now it's because it's fun to set you off," replied Sayaka with a giggle as she came up from behind and wrapped her arms around Kyōko. "(but you certainly look good enough to pull it off,)" the blunette whispered, causing to Kyōko's face to flush to a shade almost matching the color of her hair.

The door to the roof opened and the last two surprises from Walpurgisnacht arrived. It appeared the smaller of the two was still a bit shy, which was perfectly reasonable considering how most of the Puella Magi had met her, but the smallest of the companions would come to learn that compared to crimes which Nova had left behind along with her old existence, most anything else was no sweat anyhow.

"So, it appears you were going to tell the story of how we all ended up standing at the Walpurgisnacht?"

* * *

BGM : Team Shanghai Alice - Subterranean Animism - "Solar Sect of Mystic Wisdom ~ Nuclear Fusion"

Metal bit into stonework and a dark shape blotted out the sky. Homura went utterly blank with amazement when she saw what- and who- was next to her.

"_TIRO FINALE!_" Mami Tomoe declared, and the macrocannon on the rooftop spoke. The cannon was the size of a locomotive engine, and the whole world seemed to quake as it spat forth a shell the size of a car. Mami's target, the building which had threatened to crush Madoka, just disappeared in a cataclysmic burst of light and noise when the shot landed.

Homura tried to say something that could sum up what was going through her head at the fact the elegant blond gunner was back. Nothing came to mind, so Homura went for the next best thing. ". . . thank you." Mami gave a polite curtsy by way of reply.

For the moment, however, Walpurgis seemed to be slackening its' attack. The grinding of gears was still echoing throughout the battlefield, and the uber-Witch was too canny to make a blunt assault now that the Puella Magi had been restored to more than their starting strength. At the same time, none of the girls were ready to charge back into the fray either. Using all that she knew of Walpurgis and the damage that had already been done, if Homura were to force her companions back into battle, expend their very lives in the most ruthlessly efficient manner possible to arrange things so as to land as many critical strikes as they had strength remaining in their Soul Gems . . . Mami and Homura would break and become Witches in the care of a Walpurgis that been only 90% destroyed. They needed something else.

And perhaps it had been given to them. As the girls regrouped upon the rooftop where Mami had announced her return, it appeared the author of their surprising reversal was going to join them as well.

"What was _that_?!" shouted Kyōko as she arrived. Upon seeing who was standing with Homura, however, the redhead ground to a halt and she was so surprised that she actually let her Pocky fall from her mouth. "Mami?! How are you here?" The blonde did not reply directly, but instead her hands were suddenly filled each with a silver musket. Kyōko's eyes went wide as the muzzles of the guns swung up to point directly at her, and the red-haired Puella Magi dived out of the way. Hammers tripped and the guns bellowed out fire and lead- obliterating two of Walpurgis' minions which had been using the distraction to approach and try to disrupt the girls.

"Kyōko-kōhai needs to remember to check her 'six' once in a while." Mami said with a smile, while Kyōko succumbed to an embarrassed blush.

"I'd check it for her, but then I'd get distracted!" Sayaka chimed in when she landed, lance pointed to the sky.

"My my, I noticed Kyōko wasn't carrying her usual weapon. I take it then, you two . . . "

"Yeah!" replied Sayaka with a grin.

"And, oh Madoka, it's beautiful, just like your illustration!" The pink-haired girl smiled and curtseyed at the praise. "And who is this newcomer?"

"This is our friend Hitomi. She was a bit, well, rash in becoming a Puella Magi, but she's doing a good job so far." Hitomi bowed with a big smile on her face at the praise.

"And who is this . . ?" The newcomer was a white-haired girl, carrying a large baton embellished with a blood-red simulacrum of the bound form of a Soul Gem as her weapon.

"Kyubey?! What the fuck?" was Kyōko's reaction, saying out loud what the other Puella Magi were thinking.

"Ah, well, it's something of a long story. Call me Nova for right now." if there was any doubt as to her identity, the white-haired girl managed to make her human features take on the cute-yet-sinister cat smile which their Incubator had always worn. "Now, more important: If you want to stop the Walpurgis for good, I can show you how."

Just then, a small figure approached them. "M-may I help you beat the Walpurgis too?" she asked. It was obvious from the girl's dress and the radiant gemstone over her heart the girl was a Puella Magi, but one none of them recognized. Her costume seemed ill-fitted, as if it was one size too big, or she size two small, and her peach-colored hair was bound up into fat pigtails with a set of mismatched ribbons, one blue and one red.

"And who might be?"

"M-my name is C-charlotte." Realization flashed amongst the Puella Magi, and Charlotte shrank from their collective gaze. The small girl shifted nervously in place, looking ready to run, and for a moment there was silence as the girls all waited to hear from the one person with the greatest cause to refuse the newcomer.

"Certainly. You are quite welcome to join us, Charlotte-san." Mami held out her hand and Charlotte took it, relief and joy evident on her face. "Now, um, Nova, you were telling us how to put an end to that Witch?"

"Yeah, it's pretty simple. Puella Magi start out with hope and fall when they are poisoned with too much despair, right? So all we gotta do is go the other way. Spear her with hope, and she's toast."

"So how do we do that?" Homura interjected, settling a dubious look on the white-haired girl. Puella Magi or not, she had been Kyubey until however many minutes or hours ago she'd managed to game the system and get a contract. The black-haired girl didn't trust Kyubey as far as he could be thrown, a distance which was rather less now that 'he' was a full-sized 'she'.

"Umm, well, that's the tricky part . . . I'm not really sure how to make that happen." This earned the white-haired girl a variety of looks, all of them dirty.

"Sorrieee! I thought one of you might know how to make it happen!"

"Uh, didn't your kind _create_ the magic we're all using?" Sayaka put her fists on her hips and leaned in to glare at the one-time Incubator.

"Well yeah, but that doesn't mean we really understand how it works! That's why it's called magic." Sayaka palmed her face and waited either for that bit of Incubator-logic to make sense, Walpurgis to start attacking again, or the heat death of the universe to come and claim them all.

"Hey, I have a crazy idea." Kyōko held out her Soul Gem. "Wanna try?"

"What are we going to be doing, Kyōko-chan?"

"Well I thought we'd all meld together, like Sayaka and I did, and then we might be able to strike her down together." Kyōko looked around until she'd met the eyes of each of her fellow Puella Magi. "I can't guarantee this will work (and I'll have to be a lot quieter with Sayaka if it does, which will suck), but I can't think of anything else that might do it."

"Count me in." Sayaka thrust out her Soul Gem next to Kyōko's. "Well, technically I'm already 'in' regardless, but still."

"Likewise." Homura gave her hair a flick then drew out her Soul Gem.

"I want in too." Madoka offered up her Soul Gem to the connection. "Especially if it means I'll be connected more to Homura-chan."

"To be connected with you all is everything that I could wish for." Mami said as she offered up her own Soul Gem. "If we win, so much the better."

"If my strength can help you all, I am glad to offer it." Hitomi drew out her Soul Gem, feeling at ease with the precious gemstone for the first time since it was created.

"Me too!" Charlotte's glowing orange-pink gem was added to the pile.

"All I have, I give to you. It is the least I can do." There was a collective intake of breath upon seeing the opalescent white gem covered with ugly carbon streaks in Nova's hand. The amount of corruption made it clear they would not get to do things over again if this failed. Kyōko pressed her brilliant crimson gem into the middle, and for a moment all became one.

_Mami-san is so cool!_

_That awful crunching sound . . ._

_I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!_

_There's nothing to apologize for._

_We all make mistakes._

_And that's why we have friends to help us out!_

_Even when we don't admit our mistakes._

_And even when we don't want help._

_Because . . . in the end . . . we can make each other smile._

"And that is what was missing . . . I see now, Madoka, what you were trying to tell me. Thank you."

Kyōko spiked her swords into the ground and looked up at the Walpurgis, still hovering malevolently over them. The red-haired Puella Magi folded her hands around her Soul Gem, clasping them over her heart. "Let us pray . . ."

_"Our Father, who art inscrutable . . ."_

_TÄU- _

_"Give us this day our daily donuts . . ."_

_SCHUNG- _

_"Lead us not into solitude . . ."_

_ZU- _

_"But strengthen our friendships . . ."_

_ZER- _

_"So that we may dispense justice . . ."_

_STR- _

_"And grant hope to all people . . ."_

_ EU-_

_"For once and for all!"_

_ EN!_

_"And let what is done this day never be undone, until the stars fall from the sky!"_

A spear of hard white light shot forth, enshrouded in all of the colors that ever existed and struck the Walpurgis. The beam tore through the Witch's armor, it tore through the Witch's heart, and then it burned into the Witch's soul, and there it found a corroded, sickened ball of black iron and filled it with shining light. For just a moment, the beam was refracted from what appeared to be a diamond of many facets, and then the gem shattered . . . and the Walpurgisnacht came to an end.

* * *

"So, now that you've won, and Walpurgis is no more, what will you do now?" Mami knelt and laid out a large cloth, making an impromptu picnic out of the gathering. Charlotte goggled slightly when she realized the cloth and dinnerware was all Mami was carrying.

"Oh sure, make me carry the heavy stuff!" the smaller girl huffed. The effect was even cuter than when Madoka got play-angry, and so drew chuckles from the other girls, which only deepened Charlotte's pout. That is, until she saw what exactly Mami had made her carry. "Cheesecake?! Mami-san I love you! I love you forever!"

"Whoa, calm down there-" Sayaka said as she watched the little girl gush over Mami. This advice went unheeded, but then things got worse when the second pastry came out.

"P-peach pie?! Mami-sempai I love you, I love you forever!" Sayaka's palm met her forehead. Mami then went back to the big container Charlotte had been carrying _again_, and the other girls were wondering if it had been enchanted to have a pocketspace like Homura's old buckler when Mami revealed two _more_ cakes, lemon cream and chocolate.

"(I wanted to make sure those two were distracted first, so enough would survive that you could have some too.)" came the whisper as the tall cool blonde presented the confections.

"But to answer your earlier question, Mami, it's what are 'all of us' going to do now, together." Sayaka replied. Mami looked up at hearing that, tears glimmering in her eyes. "I wouldn't dream of not having you with us. (and I don't know how I could keep up without a second set of hands to feed the Bottomless Pit over there.)" True to form, Kyōko had properly sliced the pie- and then started picking up the slices like pizza and downing them in 3-4 sharp-toothed bites. Charlotte's attention to her cheesecake was no less apocalyptic, and it was only sheer divine providence that the younger girl wasn't wearing any of it . . . yet. "Besides, there'll still be Witches needing smiting, and justice needing dispensed! Say, I wonder if I could convince Dad to start a Puella Magi division in the PPF?" That earned Sayaka her own complete set of dirty and dubious looks. "What?"

"You want to roleplay out your naughty fantasies, do it on your own time, don't get us involved too." Homura smirked at the crestfallen blunette. "Although, that makes me wonder, how all of this is supposed to work now?" The black-haired girl fished out a drained Grief Seed and looked at it for a moment before handing it over to Nova, who twirled it in her hand for a moment, contemplating the device. Then she shrugged, popped the Grief Seed in her mouth, and swallowed it hole, her sidelocks bobbing as she did so.

"So . . . creepy." Sayaka had watched the event with an unhealthy tic in one eye. "Did that even go to the right place, or are you going to learn how the human medical system works after school?"

"Yep, feels like it at least!" Sayaka shook her head. Then the blunette was taken with a pensive look, and she glanced at Mami and Charlotte specifically.

"Okay, not that I'm complaining at all, but I thought you said you couldn't wish the dead back to life? So how then did you get them back?" Nova became quite shifty-eyed at the question, which did little to endear her to her interrogators.

"Well, I uh, kinda cheated. A little bit." This set Sayaka's eye to twitching in a most unhealthy manner, and Homura had one hand covering her Soul Gem in a way that promised imminent violence. "Okay, maybe I cheated a lot, but it's for a good cause, right? Look, I've been here a long time. Like, 'Homuras timeloop was only a warmup act' long time. But it wasn't until Madoka asked me why I did it that I started questioning things. And I couldn't come up with a good answer. Honestly, it felt like she'd kicked my feet out from under me."

"She's good at that," Homura interjected. The white-haired girl nodded in agreement.

"So I decided to make my own wish so that I could learn about humans and understand you . . . us? Well, only Puella Magi can make contracts, so I figured there's a freebie; I wouldn't need to wish to be human when I would end up human in order to be eligible to wish."

"Wow, you are a filthy cheater. Nova, don't try to become a lawyer when you grow up, I think that might cause the world to implode or something."

"O-okay, I didn't realize it could do that . . . wait, I know this! This is sarcasm! Ha-ha." Homura and Sayaka shared a look, to which Nova looked puzzled. "Umm, while I admit to not being an expert on the human form, I don't think that's physically possible, and it would take a long time to grow all that back, even with Puella Magi healing. Should I tell you the rest of my story instead? So what I needed was a wish, a really good one, so that I could come to understand you and maybe make a potent enough wish to be useful. And so, I wished that nothing could hinder me in my quest to learn and understand." Nova grinned as she completed her explanation.

"And so that lets you . . ?" Sayaka nodded in Mami's direction once more.

"Well, her being dead makes it pretty hard for me to understand her, now doesn't it?"

"Wow. Kyubey- Nova- whoever you are, you're one hell of a piece of work, you know?" Sayaka stood up to take stock of the situation.

"So then, we've still got Witches to fight, we've got three customers for Sayaka's Merit Exam Boot Camp of Justice, and one customer for Sayaka's How-Not-To-Creep-Out-Your-Friends-Boot-Camp . . . of Justice!" All the girls who weren't busy with cake or pie at the moment laughed at that, and the slightly crazed heroic-pointing-at-the-sky pose.

"Well, I for one am definitely looking forward to summer vacation." This was a most un-Homura-like pronouncement, and it drew several confused looks. "What? I've had to sit through the same Spring term with no summer break for _a thousand years_! Hell yes I want some relaxation time!"

"H-homura-chan, why are you picturing-" Madoka let her head tilt down and she was rubbing her fingers together, the perfect picture of nervous embarrassment. "A s-slingshot bikini?" All eyes were on Homura instantly, and she felt several presences probing at the edge of the empathic link.

"Why you! I- That's- _You!_" an accusing finger was aimed at Kyōko, who was scraping the last of the pie from the pan with a finger. "You filthy delinquent! You've corrupted my precious Madoka-chan and made her into a pervert!"

"You know you love it, Homerun." Kyōko smirked as she replied, and then slowly licked her finger clean. Homura flushed scarlet and her fists began reflexively clenching and unclenching.

"Oooh, you-!" Kyōko put a hand on Charlotte's shoulder just then, and pointed at the steaming black-haired girl.

"Now that is what we call a 'one-hit kill', got it?"

"I-I think so?"

"Good!" Kyōko smiled with a mouthful of fangs.

"Kyōko Sakura! Unhand her! I'll not let you corrupt another innocent young soul!" Homura was now in a frothing, finger-pointing, heaving rage that was only half a joke.

"Come over here and make me! (watch this)." Kyōko added, to her unwitting protege, as Homura stalked over to the redhead. "Got'cha." The pronouncement caused Homura to hesitate for a moment in confusion, which was all the time Kyōko needed to plant a kiss on the lips of the black-haired girl.

"Careful Kyōko, you keep doing that and I'm going to start thinking you want me, and Sayaka's going to get jealous."

"Maybe, or maybe you're just projecting, and besides . . ." Kyōko leaned around Homura for a moment and locked eyes on her next victim. "Hey, Mossy! Remind me, wasn't it Sayaka who was going around saying she wanted to make Madoka her bride?" This netted screams and blushes and a couple of good curses on the blunette's behalf. Kyōko looked back at Homura with her trademark fang-filled grin. "Hey, wanna trade off for a weekend?" _Huh, I didn't realize she could go any redder, _mused Kyōko.

_Actually, I wouldn't mind having all of you._ The thought drew gasps and giggles and caused all eyes to turn on Madoka. _Maybe not, um, _that_ way, but I couldn't think of anything better than spending all the time in the world with my precious friends._

* * *

Author's Note : Well, it looks like the girls have earned their happy ending, for now at least. After all, they took down the Walpurgis with a boom that was loud enough to wake the dead, or maybe even grumpier beings. Look to this space soon, as I doubt the girls will leave me alone for long.

Now, to spare you all the trouble of running it through Google Translate, the name of the spell the girls used is "Täuschung zu zerstreuen" meaning "Dispel Deception"

Over at the Puella Magi Wiki, you can find the reference images I used for Hitomi's Puella Magi outfit and Nova's human form in the Fanart sections for those characters.


End file.
